The Legal Aid Society is calling on the New York State Office of Court Administration to prioritize cases where tenants are battling dangerous conditions like mold and infestations. They are also asking for landlords to be held accountable for these unsafe conditions, as reported by City Limits.

Housing advocates say the process of getting landlords to address hazardous conditions can drag on for years, and that even when a court rules in a tenant’s favor, owners will often send crews to make temporary or inadequate fixes that do nothing to solve the long-term safety issues.

The slow speed and lack of accountability for property owners is particularly frustrating as eviction proceedings in Housing Court have being fast-tracked since the State’s eviction moratorium expired in January.

“One of the reasons it feels so unfair is because they are calendaring eviction cases so quickly and prioritizing speed over access to due process,” Julia McNally, Director of The Legal Aid Society’s Housing Practice in Queens.

“Obviously, that is really, really challenging for a tenant living with these terrible conditions—cascading leaks, mold, terrible rodent infestations, missing appliances or they don’t have a working refrigerator and can’t store food,” she continued.