LeFrak City has the most evictions in NYC. The landlord is suing to speed up the process.

The 20-building LeFrak City housing complex in Corona is home to thousands of working-class and middle-income tenants, offering access to a swimming pool and park inside a secure campus near malls, subway lines and Queens’ famous food scene.

But since the start of 2023, the 4,605-unit development has also been the site of more evictions than anywhere else in the five boroughs, according to a Gothamist analysis of city housing data. At the same time, the complex’s influential owner is suing the state court system, seeking to speed up the removal process for tenants behind on rent.

The rise in evictions at LeFrak City, a collection of mostly rent-stabilized apartments constructed more than 50 years ago as an affordable option for middle-income residents, reveals a deeper housing crisis affecting everyday New Yorkers, say tenants, their advocates and policy experts.

Many people’s income still hasn't rebounded after they lost jobs during the pandemic, and there are limited options for tenants in need of rental assistance. Meanwhile, tenants are struggling to find apartments they can afford amid record-high rents, and property owners who are tired of waiting for back rent are turning to housing court to either get paid or receive permission to remove tenants.

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