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June 22, 2008
C of O lost and found at DOB!
This is a follow up of my post below entitled "C of O nightmare". Well I went out and paid a lawyer lot's of money to try to lower the $15,000 in penalties and was about to hire an architect to see if the one family could be converted to a legal two when I decided to go back to the DOB and do some more investigations. I still could not believe that my grandfather and his brother got a C of O change for one house and not for the other half a century ago. I told this story to everyone I could up there and got the general response that if the C of O said one family on the computer and their record room then that was that.
Finally I got a sympathetic ear and a very nice guy working there decided to check the docket book (this is where the applications for C of Os were hand written in decades ago) and what do you think? They found out that yes, the C of O for my grandfathers house had been changed to a two family but never registered properly . If I had not known the exact date that the other house had the C of O changed and guessed that our house had been changed the same day then they never would have unearthed the mistake and I would have been out tens of thousands of dollars in fines and heartache. As it is I spent over a grand on legal fees and lost a few thousands in rent since I kicked the tenant out not wanting to continue to rent an "illegal" apartment. I am relieved but very upset now with the DOB. I feel that they screwed up and were out for my blood and it was unfair. Should I try to get them to refund me my legal costs or let well enough alone? It is interesting that despite explaining the story to a half dozen lawyers and expeditors not one of them thought to tell me to have the docket book checked! It took the sympathetic ear of an employee to uncover the mistake. The lesson is to be persistent and NICE!
Comments
Make a note to let the powers that be know that that sympathetic ear belonged to a valuable employee. Good deed shouldn't go unnoticed.
Posted by: guest at June 23, 2008 7:23 AM
Streaker,
I had a similar problem with the DOB. They made a mistake, I had to pay to clean it up. I'm afraid that through the process I discovered 1. they really don't care and 2. they really are incompetent. I too was finally able to solve the problem with the help of a kind employee to whom I expressed gratitude (I also cc'd her bosses.) My expeditor told me that they see this kind of thing every day. I plan to write a long, detailed letter to the mayor, but I am not expecting any satisfaction. My thought process is like this - big deal, you are out some dough. Some poor guys are dead because of how the DOB didn't do its jobs with crains, so I doubt anyone is going to do much about it. Still, I would put it all in writing and name some names. In my case, people very high up in the organizations said some unbelievable things and clearly demonstrated gross incompetence. I agree however, that the smart thing to do is to remain very polite and very persistent through the whole process. Good luck
Posted by: homey at June 23, 2008 11:05 AM
Here's what to do: You should write a note to the supervisor at the DOB praising the employee who helped you. Copy the Mayor on it and send the copy via mail to the Mayor's office. In the letter nicely describe what happened at the DOB, about how the paperwork was never filed. This way you're not officially complaining, you're praising an employee, but the details of your complaint still get communicated to those higher on the food chain.
NOW what do all those who told the OP back on her original post about this topic, "shut up and pay the fines". Ahhh, right. I will NEVER do that thanks to hearing this story. Fight the power.
Good for you, OP for being persistent. You are absolutely right, it was completely illogical that your uncle would file the paperwork to change the CofO but that your dad wouldn't. And of course it's your family and you know them and what they'd likely do or not do.
Posted by: guest at June 24, 2008 1:38 PM
Hooray! A happy ending to a brownstoner nightmare story. I am also encouraged by stories of helpful city employees.
Thumbs up to you.
Vicki
Posted by: guest at June 25, 2008 3:37 PM
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