Fairfield Properties, Long Island’s largest privately owned apartment landlord, has been the subject of multiple lawsuits and government enforcement actions in recent years, including a $422,598.21 settlement with the New York Attorney General over improperly withheld security deposits, a federal Fair Housing Act settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, and a growing wave of tenant lawsuits alleging unsafe living conditions across its Long Island complexes.1Newsday. Apartments Rentals Landlord Fairfield Properties
The Melville-based company manages roughly 16,000 rental units across more than 200 multifamily communities in Nassau, Suffolk, and Queens counties. That scale is part of the story: complaints against Fairfield tend to arrive in volume, and the company’s legal exposure now spans state consumer protection law, federal fair housing law, and ordinary landlord-tenant negligence claims.
The $422,000 Security Deposit Settlement
On January 20, 2023, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced an agreement requiring Fairfield to return $422,598.21 to 899 former tenants whose security deposits had been improperly withheld. Fairfield also agreed to pay $90,000 in penalties to the state, with an additional $90,000 suspended contingent on full compliance.2New York Attorney General. Attorney General James Recovers Over $422,000 for Hundreds of Long Island Tenants
The Attorney General’s investigation found that Fairfield, operating through affiliated management entities Fairco Management, GMM Management, MAB Management, and NHB Management, had routinely failed to comply with New York’s security deposit rules. The company withheld deposits without providing the written, itemized list of deductions that state law requires within 14 days of a tenant moving out. Apartment inspections were conducted without the tenant present, and tenants were not given the chance to clean or make repairs before being charged for damages.3New York Attorney General. Assurance of Discontinuance No. 22-069
Under New York General Obligations Law § 7-108, a landlord who misses the 14-day deadline forfeits the right to retain any portion of the deposit. Willful violations can carry punitive damages of up to twice the deposit amount.4New York State Senate. General Obligations Law § 7-108 The settlement covered tenants who moved out between June 2019 and December 2021. Beyond the money, Fairfield was required to train staff, implement new internal policies, and submit annual compliance certifications to the Attorney General’s office for three years.5Long Island Business News. NYAG Recovers $422K in Security Deposits From LI Landlord A Fairfield legal representative said at the time that the company had “made significant improvements to its internal procedures to comply with all applicable laws.”
The DOJ Fair Housing Case Over Emotional Support Animals
On June 30, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a complaint in the Eastern District of New York alleging that Fairfield Properties and the Pinewood Estates at Commack Condominium violated the Fair Housing Act by refusing to allow a resident with a disability to keep two emotional support dogs. The case, United States v. Fairfield Properties and Pinewood (No. 2:21-cv-03701), grew out of a HUD investigation and a formal charge of discrimination.6U.S. Department of Justice. United States v. Fairfield Properties and Pinewood
A settlement filed with the complaint required the defendants to pay $47,500 in damages, split between resident Alexandra Rosenberg-Kalish and a second individual, Lisa Rosenberg, to compensate for economic loss and emotional distress. The defendants also had to adopt a written reasonable accommodation policy for assistance animals, amend the condominium’s pet rules, and put board members and management staff through fair housing training within 60 days. The three-year agreement contained no admission of wrongdoing.7U.S. Department of Justice. United States v. Fairfield Properties and Pinewood – Settlement Agreement
The underlying dispute was that Pinewood restricted residents to one dog weighing 30 pounds or less and denied a request to keep two emotional support animals, a pug and a boxer. Fairfield’s attorney argued at the time that the company was the property manager, not the owner, and that building policies were set by the condominium board.8Newsday. Pinewood Estates Fairfield Emotional Support Animal
Reyes v. Fairfield Properties
An earlier federal suit raised related themes. In Reyes v. Fairfield Properties (No. 08-CV-0074, E.D.N.Y.), Ellen Reyes and her daughter Joy, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, alleged that Fairfield and three of its employees failed to provide reasonable accommodations, including ramps, widened doorways, and maintained accessible driveways and parking, then retaliated with eviction proceedings after the family filed a discrimination complaint with the New York State Division of Human Rights.9CaseMine. Reyes v. Fairfield Properties
In September 2009, Judge Joseph F. Bianco partially granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss. The court held that the Fair Housing Amendments Act’s reasonable accommodation provision does not require landlords to undertake new construction such as building ramps or widening doors. Claims tied to maintaining existing premises, including pothole repairs, survived, along with parking-related claims, the retaliation claim, and several state law causes of action. The plaintiffs were given leave to add the property’s fee owner, Fairfield 64 Gibson LLC, as a defendant.10vLex. Reyes v. Fairfield Properties, 661 F.Supp.2d 249
The 2026 Wave of Tenant Complaints and Active Lawsuits
In spring 2026, News 12 Long Island reported that dozens of tenants across multiple Fairfield complexes had submitted photos and videos documenting cockroach and mouse infestations, mold, ignored maintenance requests, piles of trash left for days, and recurring false fire alarms. Joseph Loguercio, a resident at Fairfield at Coram Pond, said fire alarms had been sounding at random between 1 and 2 a.m. at least once a month since February, and that communication with management was “very minimal, or nonexistent at all.”11News 12 Long Island. We Just Want Out: Tenants Across Long Island Speak Out About Issues at Fairfield Properties
A follow-up report described sewage problems and maggot-covered trash. Court records cited by News 12 showed the company facing more than a dozen active lawsuits, including a claim involving a child injured by a falling radiator cover and another from a tenant alleging serious injuries after an attack by a dog that exceeded the property’s weight limits. Suffolk County Department of Health records showed a 2023 complaint at Fairfield at Suburbia Gardens in West Babylon over dog waste attracting rats.12News 12. It’s a Health Concern: More Tenants Speak Out Against Fairfield Properties as Complaints Mount
One identifiable active case, German et al v. Fairfield Properties Group LLC et al (No. 2:24-cv-07168, E.D.N.Y.), was filed in October 2024. It asserts Fair Housing Act failure-to-accommodate claims along with negligence, breach of contract, private nuisance, and trespass, and as of mid-2026 remained in discovery.13PACER Monitor. German et al v. Fairfield Properties Group LLC et al
A source within the Attorney General’s office confirmed to News 12 that the office is “now reviewing complaints involving Fairfield Properties,” though no formal enforcement action had been announced as of mid-2026. Ian Wilder, executive director of Long Island Housing Services, said the tight housing market on Long Island leaves many tenants with few alternatives: “There should be no excuse for complaints.” Fairfield declined to comment on both occasions News 12 approached its Melville headquarters.11News 12 Long Island. We Just Want Out: Tenants Across Long Island Speak Out About Issues at Fairfield Properties
Who You’re Dealing With After the 2026 Split
Anyone tracking litigation against Fairfield should know the company is dividing. As of May 2026, Fairfield is undergoing an amicable split into two independent firms. Gary Broxmeyer, who controls 61 percent of the business, will lead GMS Real Estate Holdings; his nephew Michael Broxmeyer, who holds the remaining 39 percent, will head MDJ Realty Services. The division is expected to close by the end of 2026, and both sides have said no tenants, employees, or leases will be affected.14Long Island Business News. Fairfield Properties Split Two Firms Long Island Which successor entity ends up on the caption of which case is a detail worth checking on active dockets as the split proceeds.