Finding the Political Will to Standing Up to Zara Realty
Zara Realty has been documented in their unwillingness to provide humane housing standards and contributes to the already massive issue in housing that the downstate New York region faces when it comes to affordability. Organizers like Rima Begum ji have shone a national spotlight on the lack of repairs in individual housing units and the unbearable ways in which rising rents across the city are impacting communities in Jamaica, Queens who come from many different South Asian countries when Bernie Sanders shared the organizing and the struggles faced by the South Asian community. Zara Realty is in Assembly Member David Weprin’s district (D-24) and he has had a history (or lack there of) actually of being present at protests and standing in solidarity with his constituents. He has gone as far as to accept donations from Zara Realty directly and does not feel like he needs to return those contributions. While Weprin has helped pass legislation that helps religious communities fight discrimination that comes with being a Sikh with a turban or a Muslim woman who wears the hijab, Assembly Member Weprin has been very slow to address the housing struggles and institutionally ingrained discrimination against those same communities.
As someone who worked in Housing Court as a Court Navigator, I have seen the impact of New York’s tale of two cities in which the wealthy have continued to get rich off the backs of the impoverished. In New York, the COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated many existing problems and have made them worse. Many tenants across New York -and across the country- are grappling with the loss of jobs as a result of the pandemic. In New York State, Govenor Cuomo’s moratorium on evictions -which is set to expire on June 20th- is causing much anxiety on top of the insecurity that New Yorkers are facing when it comes to food, healthcare, education, among other concerns.
In this year’s election there is so much at stake for the whole state of New York. Progressives are battling entrenched incumbents for control of Congress, the State Legislature and City Council among many other elected positions. Mafuzal Islam has emerged as a challenger to Assemblyman David Weprin, who has long consolidated power in Assembly District 24 and Mafuzal is calling for a New York that works alongside the working class, not the rich.
Candidates on the same slate for elections in A.D. 24 are Moumita Ahmed -an activist who was among the founding members of Millennials for Bernie- for District Leader, Mahtab Khan also a District Leader candidate and two attorneys who have long established a presence in the Richmond Hill community who are vying for Judicial Delegate, Ali Najmi and Ravisharon Kaur Khunkhun.
Zara Reality
The real estate company prides itself on ‘luxury living in eastern queens’ but fails to live up to what is promised. According to David Brand of Queens Daily Eagle:
The company, Zara Realty, was sued in 2019 by Tish James and the state’s Homes and Community Renewal agency for allegedly demanding excessive security deposits and advance rent payments from tenants in violation of state law. Zara also violates rent-regulation laws by charging broker’s fees through a third-party LLC, the complaint alleges.
Zara Vice President Rajesh Subraj, who goes by Tony Subraj and is named in the lawsuit, chipped in $400 to Weprin’s campaign for comptroller in May 2019, two months after the state filed its complaint.
The corporation owns at least 2,500 rent-stabilized apartments in 38 buildings in and around Weprin’s 24th Assembly District — a narrow region that runs northeast through Queens from Richmond Hill to Glen Oaks. People of South Asian descent make up a large percentage of tenants in Zara’s affordable housing sites and some buildings are represented by the Bangladeshi Tenants Union.
“Evading our rent regulation laws and forcing low-income tenants to pay exorbitant fees for fake services is deception of the worst kind,” James said at a press conference first announcing the lawsuit last year.
Councilmember Rory Lancman, who appeared with James at the event, said Zara was “determined to cheat, to steal, and to harass its tenants regardless of whatever it does to their lives.” A state Supreme Court judge allowed the lawsuit to proceed in May.
Zara Realty’s issues have been so widespread that the Attorney General Tish James had to intervene by bringing a lawsuit against the company. As recently as last month, a judge denied Zara Realty’s attempt at dismissing the lawsuit brought against them by the AG:
Zara Realty, a real estate company in Jamaica, attempted to dismiss a 2019 lawsuit from New York Attorney General Letitia James over violations of New York’s rent stabilization and tenant harassment laws. However, Justice Katheryn E. Freed ruled against Zara’s claims earlier this week.
“This ruling ensures that the owners of Zara Realty can no longer hide behind an LLC, and can be held liable for their blatant pattern of tenant harassment,” James said. “We have zero tolerance for landlords who exploit tenants by ignoring rent regulation laws and forcing low-income families to pay excessive fees in exchange for bogus services.”
As one can come to expect, in this fight Assemblyman David Weprin was no where to be found.
Organizers Fight Back
Rima Begumji is a Tenant Organizer in eastern Queens. She mobilized her community to take action against Zara Realty by forming a tenants union and is actively involved in fighting back against Zara Realty’s overtures against its tenants. Her organizing became national news when then-candidate Bernie Sanders put a spotlight on what is happening to tenants across the country, with the most egregious being the one in the world’s borough of Queens.
The protest that took place today has direct consequences for the race between Mafuzal Islam and David Weprin as an increasingly vocal South Asian population in Queens finds its political voice and isn’t afraid to call out politicians who are taking campaign contributions from a leasing company that is exploitative.
In running the numbers it is estimated that Zara Realty:
Zara Realty, which owns over 38 rent-stabilized buildings, often demanded and charged new tenants a fee for new keys, room reservation fees, advanced rent, and security deposits that were often three to four times larger than a month’s worth of rent, according to James. Zara Realty would charge tenants $200 for one new key — a payment that was required because the company would change the locks before each new tenant moved in — the attorney general alleges.
Once tenants moved into Zara’s property, the company would often charge illegal late fees and fees for entitled services, including regular apartment maintenance, according to James.
In addition to those illegal charges, Zara Realty would charge tenants moving apartments within the same building a brokers fee under the name Jasmine Homes, LLC, a company controlled by the Subraj family, the same family that controls the realty company, James said. This fee is illegal under the Rent Stabilization Code. In some cases, tenants paid more than $11,000 to move into one of Zara Realty’s rent-stabilized apartment, according to James.
If these costs tell us anything, it is that companies like Zara Realty need to be held more accountable -not less. Just because a corporation does the occasional philanthropy does not mean it treats those under their ward fairly.
During the protest Judicial Candidate Ali Najmi blasted Zara Realty and Assemblyman David Weprin:
The chief law enforcement officer for the State of New York Leticia James has initiated a civil enforcement action against Zara Realty, for many things, one of them is illegal tenant harassment, charging exorbitant fees, Zara is threatening to call ICE on tenants, thats a harassment technique.We’re here to say, that on Hillside Avenue that is unacceptable. In the 24th Assembly district that is unacceptable. David Weprin shame on you for not standing with the tenants. He has chosen to stand with Zara Realty.
Today’s protest hopefully brought to light why voting is super critical and for South Asians who are renting with this company, that they need someone in the Assembly who will advocate for them like Mafuzal Islam and we need district leaders like Moumita and Mahtab with Judicial Delegates with powerhouses like Ali Najmi and Ravisharon Kaur Khunkhun.
If you missed the absentee ballot deadline, you can still visit NYC Votes to find out where you can go for early voting.
