Zinerman Unveils Deed
Theft Eviction Legislation

Assemblymember Zinerman Announces Deed Theft Eviction Protection Act and Calls for Operational Unity Across Government

Zinerman sends letters to Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson, Governor Kathy Hochul, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani requesting coordinated action within 20 days before the close of the legislative session

BROOKLYN, NY — Today, Assemblymember Stefani L. Zinerman announced the Deed Theft Eviction Protection Act, new legislation to protect homeowners, heirs, and families from being evicted, removed, locked out, or dispossessed while title to their home is actively being challenged in court.

The legislation is grounded in a simple principle:

No owner of record should be evicted, removed, or dispossessed from their home while the title to that home is actively being challenged in a court of competent jurisdiction.

Assemblymember Zinerman also announced that she has sent formal letters to Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson, Governor Kathy Hochul, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani requesting immediate intervention and coordinated action to stop deed theft from becoming wrongful displacement.

“Deed theft is not an ordinary housing dispute. It is the theft of legacy, generational wealth, family stability, and community,” said Assemblymember Stefani L. Zinerman. “No family should be pushed out of a home while the courts are still deciding whether that home was stolen. The Governor can stop the immediate harm. The Mayor can stop City systems from enabling wrongful displacement. The Judiciary can ensure court processes are not used to complete a theft. And the Legislature must make these protections permanent in law.”

The new legislation would create a statewide protection to prevent eviction, removal, lockout, ejectment, or dispossession when title to residential real property is actively being challenged in Supreme Court, Surrogate’s Court, or another court of competent jurisdiction.

Acknowledging the City’s First Step

Assemblymember Zinerman acknowledged Mayor Mamdani’s recent creation of the Mayor’s Office of Deed Theft Prevention and appointment of Peter White as director. The office was created by Executive Order 16 and is housed within the Department of Finance. It is intended to coordinate city agencies, flag suspicious property filings, improve data-sharing, conduct outreach, support homeowners, and strengthen enforcement coordination.

“Mayor Mamdani’s creation of the Office of Deed Theft Prevention and the appointment of Peter White is an important first step,” said Zinerman. “Now the City Council and Mayor must codify that office by local law, provide dedicated funding, and give it a permanent mandate to prevent deed theft displacement before families are removed from their homes.”

Letters to the Judiciary and Executives

In her letter to Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson, Assemblymember Zinerman urges the Unified Court System to create courtwide protocols for deed theft and contested title cases.

The requested judicial actions include:

• Courtwide guidance for judges, clerks, and court staff on deed theft red flags;
• Review protocols before any eviction, lockout, ejectment, or removal proceeds;
• Stays, adjournments, or coordinated case review where title is actively contested;
• Specialized deed theft calendars or coordinated case management;
• Improved communication between Housing Court, Supreme Court, Surrogate’s Court, and foreclosure-related proceedings;
• Training for judges and court personnel on deed theft, heirs’ property, and racialized displacement;
• Plain-language court notices for homeowners and heirs;
• Data collection on deed theft-related proceedings and displacement outcomes.

“This is not a request for the Judiciary to prejudge cases,” Zinerman said. “It is a request for the Judiciary to ensure that no court process is used to dispossess a family from a home whose title is still in dispute.”

In her joint letter to Governor Hochul and Mayor Mamdani, Assemblymember Zinerman calls on the executives to act immediately to prevent wrongful displacement.

The letter asks the Governor to:

• Issue executive action or emergency guidance to prevent evictions where deed theft or contested title is alleged;
• Direct state agencies to coordinate a statewide deed theft response;
• Fund regional title defense hubs;
• Support a statewide property alert and recording protection system;
• Convene a statewide deed theft emergency task force;
• Include anti-deed theft funding in the Executive Budget.

The letter asks the Mayor to:

• Work with the City Council to codify, fund, strengthen, and make permanent the Mayor’s Office of Deed Theft Prevention;
• Establish a Citywide Contested Deed Eviction Hold;
• Require deed theft screening before marshal or sheriff action;
• Create a Deed Theft Red Flag Notice system;
• Expand right-to-counsel protections for homeowners and heirs;
• Launch a citywide homeowner protection campaign.

“The State and City must stop treating deed theft as isolated paperwork fraud,” said Zinerman. “This is a coordinated displacement crisis, and it requires a coordinated government response.”

Need for Action Before Session Ends

Assemblymember Zinerman is requesting a meeting within 20 days with the Governor, Mayor, Judiciary, State Legislature, City Council, prosecutors, county clerks, sheriffs, marshals, legal services providers, housing advocates, and impacted homeowners.

The meeting is intended to align legislative, executive, and judicial action before the State legislative session closes. The New York State Legislature released its 2026 legislative calendar, and end-of-session action is time-sensitive.

“Executive action can pause the harm. Judicial protocols can prevent the courts from accelerating the harm. But legislation is necessary to make these protections permanent,” Zinerman said. “This is the moment for operational unity. The Legislature must write the law, the Executive must stop the immediate harm, and the Judiciary must protect due process before families lose their homes.”

Background

Deed theft often involves forged deeds, fraudulent notarizations, coercive transfers, predatory contracts, foreclosure-rescue scams, heirs’ property exploitation, probate manipulation, or rapid attempts to remove occupants from homes following questionable transfers.

For many Black and Brown families in New York, homeownership represents the primary source of generational wealth. Once a family is removed from a home, the harm can be irreversible. Families may lose possession, access to documents, leverage in court, housing stability, and the ability to preserve property for future generations.

Assemblymember Zinerman has made deed theft prevention and homeowner protection a central part of her legislative and district agenda. Her efforts include advancing homeowner defense legislation, pushing for stronger fraud prevention tools, supporting title defense infrastructure, calling for protections against wrongful displacement, and demanding a coordinated response across government.

Call to Action

Assemblymember Zinerman is calling for:

1. A meeting within 20 days with the Governor, Mayor, Judiciary, State Legislature, City Council, prosecutors, county clerks, sheriffs, marshals, legal services providers, and impacted homeowners;
2. Immediate executive action to pause removals where title is actively contested;
3. Judicial protocols to identify deed theft red flags and prevent wrongful dispossession;
4. City Council legislation to codify, fund, strengthen, and make permanent the Mayor’s Office of Deed Theft Prevention;
5. State legislation to permanently prohibit eviction, removal, lockout, ejectment, or dispossession while title is actively challenged in court.

“Deed theft is not just the theft of a deed,” Zinerman said. “It is the theft of a family’s future. New York must act now, together, before one more family is removed from a home that may have been stolen.”

Assemblymember Stefani L. Zinerman represents New York’s 56th Assembly District, serving Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights. She is Deputy Majority Whip of the New York State Assembly and Chair of the Subcommittee on Emerging Workforce.

 Contact: Amber Stephens | [email protected]