Annual and other periodic reports required by the city

I am trying to compile a comprehensive list of the annual or other periodic reports to be made by homeowners as required by the various city agencies. I am hoping to then be able to deal with those requirements in order to forestall notices of violation, two of which I recently received for things that I did not know were required. So far, I am aware of elevator inspection reports, backflow preventer testing reports, fire sprinkler inspection and testing reports. Does anyone know of any others? Thanks, Jerry

jerry77

in About Brooklyn 10 years and 6 months ago

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resident2 | 10 years and 6 months ago

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Every property owner should have a relationship with licensed plumber, that knows your building intimately and will keep you up to date with the boiler inspections, sprinkler inspections etc. For bigger buildings with elevators, many floors that need facade inspections etc. either higher a professional property manager and take the classes yourself and join Rent Stabilization or any other Building/landlord organization that will keep you up to date with the filings. A few years ago there was a subscription info service call “Apartment Law Insider”, I don’t know if it is still published, but it was well worth the money when I started out.

housepoor | 10 years and 6 months ago

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A back flow preventer is required for a fire sprinkler line. It makes no sense since I don’t understand how water would flow back into the water supply from a fire sprinkler, but it is the rule. Maybe it has to do with contamination from the connection which the FD would hook up to feed water into the sprinkler system in case your City service did not function. I just had a new fire sprinkler line installed and it was required. On my house line I was able to get an exemption. They are available as long as you don’t have certain types of fixtures (a bidet, for example). I believe the back flow unit has to be inspected and tested yearly — and I hear it is an expensive test.

jerry77 | 10 years and 6 months ago

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Good advice. I have already been in touch with the NYC Dept of Environmental Protection which is the agency overseeing backflow preventers, and they confirmed using serial numbers and my home block and lot numbers not only that I have one, but that it is required because I have a fire sprinkler. I had called them because when I looked at their FAQ website, http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/forms_and_permits/backflow_faq.shtml, which lists the situations where a backflow preventer is required, it does not mention fire sprinklers as giving rise to a requirement. This is one of the reasons for my comment that these are “virtual secrets” since if the agency does not disclose that a backflow preventer is required, then it would seem unlikely that the homeowner is required to test and report on one if they nevertheless have it on their water line.

ventilated | 10 years and 6 months ago

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Make sure the notices really came from a NYC agency, and not some fly-by-night look alike. There is a learning curve to being a homeowner, as much your responsibility as the city’s “virtual secret.” Backflow preventer, for example, is unlikely to apply to your property: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/forms_and_permits/backflow_faq.shtml Rather than rely on random forum input, go a DOB homeowners night and ask your question(s) there: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dob/html/homeowners_and_tenants/homeowners_tenants_main.shtml

jerry77 | 10 years and 6 months ago

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I have a single family home, and I found out about this the worst way. Without any forewarning, over the last few months I received two notices of violation in the mail, each claiming that I have to pay a violation penalty of $1,000 — the most recent for a failure to test and file a report on a backflow preventer device, which I did not even know existed. Since then I have been struggling to find out if there are other things that I need to do, so that I don’t receive any more fines. I think it is a disgrace that the city has these obligations and maintains them as a virtual secret and then informs people of them by saying that they have to pay a fine. I posted this topic because I assumed that the brownstone community would be knowledgeable about this and would be a good source of information.

BobMarvin | 10 years and 6 months ago

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“I didn’t know these apply to single- or two-family residences”. I don’t think they do–I’m sure I’d have heard about it from neighbors. In any case, I don’t have a boiler.

ventilated | 10 years and 6 months ago

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Just buy the Vendome book: http://www.vendomerealestatemedia.com/product/2015-new-york-city-apartment-management-checklist

bkarchitect | 10 years and 6 months ago

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There’s an annual boiler inspection and there’s a facade report every 5 years or so but I didn’t know these apply to single- or two-family residences.