New York City moves to require disclosure of AI-altered rental listings

New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani has released a Rental Ripoff Report that recommends requiring landlords and realtors to disclose the use of artificial intelligence to alter rental listings, including listing imagery. The report appeared a day after the administration announced a click-to-cancel rule aimed at subscription companies such as Adobe.

What the report proposes

Among its recommendations, the report says landlords should disclose when rental listings have been altered using artificial intelligence or other digital tools. The package also includes recognising tenant unions, expanding tenants' bargaining rights and modernising the city's code enforcement systems. “From requiring disclosure of AI-altered listings to bringing our code enforcement systems into the 21st century and finally recognizing tenant unions, we are making it clear that every New Yorker deserves a safe home — and every landlord who refuses to provide one will be held accountable,” Mamdani said.

Why misleading listing images matter

AI-generated and AI-edited photographs in real estate advertising have become an increasingly serious problem well beyond New York, with listings that misrepresent the condition, size or features of an apartment. The practice is particularly risky for tenants who sign leases remotely, for example when moving for a new job and unable to visit in person. Coverage of such images has ranged from the comic to the unsettling, but the underlying issue is that a tenant's expectations no longer match the property.

Hearings across the five boroughs

Mamdani established the Rental Ripoff Hearings during his first week in office and met with 2,400 New Yorkers across each borough to hear about housing conditions and deceptive practices by landlords. Leila Bozorg, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning, said the policies are rooted in real experiences and address real concerns. Cea Weaver, director of the Mayor's Office to Protect Tenants, described the hearings and the report as a new chapter in tenant power in New York City. Governing is a partnership, she said, and bringing tenants' voices directly into policy shows what governing with New Yorkers looks like.