To date, the city has had limited powers to force negligent landlords to bring their buildings up to code. That changed yesterday when the City Council passed the Safe Housing Act which empowers (requires, actually) the Department of Housing Preservation and Development to identify 200 problem buildings a year and go after their owners to make repairs. Under the bill, if an owner does not comply, the city may do the improvements itself and send the owner the bill. If he refuses to pay, the city may place a lien against the house and ultimately seize the property. This bill is a full-out, governmental full-court press against slumlords in the city of New York, said Christine C. Quinn, the City Council speaker. The scope of the bill, which was sponsored by Letitia James, includes not only smaller, short-term problems like a faulty radiator but entire system upgrades. Mayor Bloomberg is expected to sign the bill within the next 30 days and become law within the next six months.
Council Passes Bill Enabling City to Fix Worst Buildings [NY Times]
City To Get Tough On Negligent Landlords [Brownstoner]
Photo by dubsyuhs