The city and state are teaming up on a new task force to help protect tenants in rent-stabilized housing. NY1's Grace Rauh filed the following report.

Mario Bello spent 34 years on one block in Bushwick. But the area is quickly changing, and buildings that once housed low-income residents are now filling up with wealthier ones.

Bello said his former landlord made his life miserable in an effort to get him to leave his rent-controlled apartment.

"He cut the gas. He sent the people to destroy the boiler," Bello said. "Then, the pressure that, 'You got to move. You got to move. You got to move.'"

He said his anxiety over his living situation became so bad that he ended up needing treatment from a hospital.

"It was such a lot of pressure," he said.

City and state officials say they want to help more people like Bello by putting a stop to landlord harassment more effectively than they've done in the past.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced the creation of the Tenant Harassment Prevention Task Force. Governor Andrew Cuomo did not attend the rollout, but his administration is part of the effort.

"It is a partnership of city and state agencies, very simply designed to investigate, sue and, when appropriate, prosecute abusive landlords to stop the harassment of tenants," Schneiderman said.

Officials say complaints against landlords are up, a trend they attribute to a booming real estate market. Landlords who lease rent-regulated apartments may be tempted to cash in and push out longtime tenants.

"We as a city have not had the right conversation about gentrification," de Blasio said. "What you're seeing today is an example of finally, government focusing and getting it right.

In Bello's case, the city got involved, helping to bring a lawsuit that led to a legal settlement that ensures he will get to go home.

When Bello finally does get to move back into his old apartment, he will be paying his old rent, just $302 a month.