Attorney General James Stops Predatory Landlord from Violating Albany College Students’ Housing Rights

Asaf Elkayam and Jerusalem Management Overcharged Tenants, Allowed Workers to Enter Apartments without Notifying Tenants, and Provided Misleading Leases

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today stopped a landlord who primarily rents units to University of Albany students from unlawfully taking advantage of tenants with illegal fees and misleading leases. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) found that Asaf Elkayam and his company Jerusalem Management, LLC (Jerusalem Management), violated state laws and tenants’ rights by overcharging tenants on application fees, charging unreasonable cleaning fees and unlawful late fees, and allowing workers to enter apartments without prior notice to tenants. As part of a settlement with OAG, Elkayam must pay $8,000 in penalties, remove all deceptive or misleading provisions from future leases, provide notice to tenants before entering their apartments, provide predetermined fees for damages or legal costs, and take other actions to protect tenants’ rights.

“Asaf Elkayam took advantage of his tenants, many of whom were college students and first-time renters,” said Attorney General James. “No New Yorkers should have to fear that their landlord may enter their home unannounced, or worry about paying outrageous fees just to rent an apartment. My office will always take action to protect New York tenants from unfair housing practices and hold all those who violate the law accountable.”

Elkayam is the owner of Jerusalem Management, which owns and manages 85 buildings with over 200 rental units in Albany. Except for one property, all of Jerusalem Management’s apartment units are located near the University of Albany campus and are primarily rented by students.

The OAG opened an investigation into Jerusalem Management in 2022 after the City of Albany referred complaints to OAG alleging unlawful, deceptive, and unfair leasing and management practices. Throughout the investigation, OAG found multiple instances of unlawful or misleading lease provisions. These included charging over $20 per application in violation of state law and charging tenants excessive fees such as a $100 cleaning fee for the fridge, a $100 fee for the oven, and a $75 fee for every day a tenant stayed in the unit past the expiration of the lease. The leases also allowed the landlord to enter tenants’ apartments at all hours without prior notice or consent. One tenant described a maintenance worker repeatedly entering her apartment with no warning as early as 8:00 AM.

As a result of OAG’s investigation, Elkayam will pay $8,000 in penalties and must fully comply with New York’s housing laws, including by removing any deceptive and unfair terms or provisions in future leases, providing notice to tenants before entering their apartments, and only collecting application fees within the legal limits. Elkayam must also provide new and current tenants seeking to renew their lease a copy of OAG’s Residential Tenants’ Rights Guide. 

Attorney General James has consistently taken action to fight housing discrimination and protect low-income tenants. This month, Attorney General James stopped Capital Region landlords Greg and John Karian from discriminating against low-income renters. In February, Attorney General James announced $970,000 in grants to support and expand fair housing testing and enforcement in New York’s Capital Region. In August 2024, Attorney General James made Shamco Management Corp. pay $400,000 to low-income tenants in New York City for illegally denying housing opportunities. In February 2024, Attorney General James announced an agreement with real estate broker Pasquale Marciano and his companies to stop illegal policies that denied housing opportunities to low-income renters.

This matter is being handled by Assistant Attorney General Christopher Lee and overseen by Assistant Attorney General in Charge of the Poughkeepsie Regional Office Vinita Kamath. Assistant Attorney General Elizabeth Gavin of the Poughkeepsie Regional Office also worked on this matter. The Poughkeepsie Regional Office is a part of the Division of Regional Affairs, which is led by Deputy Attorney General Jill Faber. The Division of Regional Affairs is overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.