NYC Adds 250 Deteriorating Buildings Into Their Alternative Enforcement Program

NYC under the auspices of The Office of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) enrolled 250 buildings with roughly 4,000 apartments to its Alternative Enforcement Program (AEP).   This is the 11th year of the program where 250 buildings are placed every year for the additional scrutiny of HPD.  The buildings that are have been chosen are listed here and they house 3,970 families and have 26,301 housing code violations.  Under AEP, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) identifies the most distressed buildings in need of repair and systems replacement, and monitors the progress of owners towards correcting Housing Maintenance Code violations or corrects the violations itself.  An official for the city also said that the program subjects the owners to fees and tougher inspections if they don't make legally mandated repairs.
Some of the violations that have been levied against the owners are based on the presence lead-based paint, lack of heat or hot water, rodent infestations, inadequate fire exits and no electricity or gas.  The violations can be fixed by the landlord or can be repaired by the city and the landlord would have to reimburse for the repairs.  According to officials the landlords already owe more than $1.5 million for repairs already made by the City.
The breakdown of the 250 buildings put into the program this year are as follows:

• Manhattan: 47 buildings/ 940 units
• The Bronx: 57 buildings/ 1,169 units
• Brooklyn: 127 buildings/ 1,435 units
• Queens: 18 buildings/ 370 units
• Staten Island: 1 building/ 56 units

Mayor deBlasio said about the AEP buildings in a statement "This kind of willful negligence puts tenants in danger. It is immoral and illegal and we will use every tool we have to go after property owners and make these buildings safe for New York families."

Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer stated

"HPD is working on all fronts to make sure that landlords live up to their obligations to provide tenants with the safe, quality housing that they rightfully deserve. The Alternative Enforcement Program is a powerful tool to take negligent owners to task and address systemic conditions in buildings.  I want to thank the hardworking team in HPD's Office of Enforcement and Neighborhood Services, as well as the many elected officials and community groups who partner with us to protect our city's tenants."

Having an experienced NYC property management company can assist landlords comply with violations and avoid be put on a list such as the Alternate Enforcement Program.  Blue Harbour Property Management is a full service NYC property management company servicing the boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx that is one of the top property management companies assisting landlords in difficult matters.  Whether it be a 1 bedroom condo or multi-family building we are able to assist our clients maximize their investments.

http://www.blueharbourpropertymanagement.com/nyc-adds-250-deteriorating-buildings-alternative-enforcement-program/

Manhattan Buildings Are Now Being Graded With New Google Chrome Extension

Manhattan property managers and landlords should be put on notice that Manhattan buildings will be graded by using a new Google Chrome Extention by Rentlogic.   The four year old company's software will allow apartment hunters who are viewing an apartment on a broker's website or listing service to see the building's grade in a pop-up window.  The viewer will also be able to see violations, complaints as well as other issues which may affect quality of life (electrical issues, rodents, bedbugs, etc).

Initially, Rentlogic attempted to have brokerages send their listings in order for them to be evaluated and graded.  However, they found that most companies were only sending their best listing according to Yale Fox, their CEO.  As a result of this, Rentlogic decided to go with an algorithm which is similar to what he believes will be a Zagat for properties.

The data that Rentlogic uses derives from government reports but according to Bloomberg " the assumptions his algorithm makes are subject to scorn by the industry. One complaint is that he goes back seven years, meaning that the system can include violations incurred by previous owners.

Another is that it uses data on tenant complaints regardless of whether the landlord responded quickly or whether the complaint was verified by a city inspector. Fox said the algorithm doesn’t consider unverified complaints and, in general, is designed to give landlords the benefit of the doubt. He said he plans to introduce functions to help landlords improve building grades."
They are hoping that the software will provide a level playing field as they will not sway too close to landlords nor be overly critical as well.  Being able to prevent disasters such as tenants living in buildings such as the ones owned by Steve Croman would be a goal of the company.  Last summer, the Attorney General Eric Schneiderman brought 20 felony charges against Croman for harrassing rent regulated tenants.  He is facing up to 25 years in jail and up to 8 million dollars in fines.

The Rentlogic plug-in, which works on Chrome, Firefox, or Opera browsers with Internet Explorer and Safari on the way.

Blue Harbour Property Management is a full service NYC property management company servicing the boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx.  Whether it be a 1 bedroom condo or multi-family building we are able to assist our clients maximize their investments.

http://www.blueharbourpropertymanagement.com/manhattan-buildings-are-now-being-graded-with-new-google-chrome-extension/

Landlords Are Being Fined For Reporting AirBnB Violations

Landlords are being fined for reporting violations of law against companies like AirBnb.  In October 2016 a law was passed in New York making it illegal to to list units for rent for fewer than 30 days if the owner isn’t present.  The bill which sat on Governor Cuomo's desk for many months while AirBnB tried to lobby for the Governor not to sign it was eventually passed into law as concerns regarding affordable housing and foregone tax revenue were of primary consideration.

Cuomo spokesperson Richard Azzopardi said at the time “This is an issue that was given careful, deliberate consideration, but ultimately these activities are already expressly prohibited by law. They also compromise efforts to maintain and promote affordable housing by allowing those units to be used as unregulated hotels, and deny communities significant revenue from uncollected taxes, the cost of which is ultimately borne by local taxpayers,”

The law would seem to a win for landlords who were the biggest proponents of the law being passed last year.  Although this may be the case, landlords are being fined for reporting the said violations.  According to a Crain's New York report, a landlord reported that one of their units was being used illegally to the Mayor's Office of Special Enforcement.  The Mayor's Office of Special Enforcement eventually issued an order to vacate but the landlord was still fined $3,400.00. The court case was appealed multiple times but the Court eventually held that the landlord is responsible for illegal usage of the units although it is the tenant who created the condition.

As a result of the decision, many believe the decision will have a chilling effect on landlords who would like to report the illegal condition.  “We urge all New Yorkers to report violations of the law, including those that create dangerous living conditions,” a spokesman for DOB told Crain’s. “But reporting violations by others does not mean landlords are shielded from their own legal duty of providing safe homes to paying tenants.”

“If you want us to cooperate with you, you have to stop fining us,” Jeffrey Goldman, a partner at Belkin Burden Wenig & Goldman who represented the landlord in the above reference case stated.  NYC Property management companies and owners must remain focused on curtailing and preventing the use of their units rented for fewer than 30 days.  The failure to do so will result in tremendous fines that the city will penalize you on.

Blue Harbour Property Management is a full service NYC property management company servicing the boroughs of Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx.  Whether it be a 1 bedroom condo or multi-family building we are able to assist our clients maximize their investments.

http://www.blueharbourpropertymanagement.com/landlords-fined-reporting-airbnb-violations/

NYC cracking down on Landlords failing to fix Violations by Withholding Rent

The City of New York has finally had enough of landlords not fixing violations attributable to their buildings.  They have decided to take a legal measure not used since the Koch administration and withhold rents it pays for public assistance at the buildings in question.  The two landlords had a combined 239 violations of which 78 of those violations deemed "hazardous".

The landlords were among eight warned by City Hall and Public Advocate Letitia James in May to clean up their buildings or have their rent withheld.  The buildings are located in the Bronx and upper Manhattan.  The rest of the landlords decided to make the necessary repairs and were not penalized.  For more information on this click here.

The failure to cure violations on your property can become a major obstacle in profiting on your investment.  Although the above result appears to be an extreme case, you can see what the failure to upkeep your property can lead to.  In most cases, the choice of a reputable NYC property management company can assist you in fixing violations on your property.  The majority of property managers have software that can detect when violations have been assessed and can take actions to cure them.  In the alternative, choosing a property mangement company in New York City that has the expertise in preventing the violations can save you money and hassle in the long run.

Troubleshooting potential issues and having a long term strategy in place for preventative measures are some of the services that Blue Harbour Property Management provides.  If you are in need of a property management company that can assist with your troubled property, call us and we will meet with you and determine what is the best plan for the health of your property.

http://www.blueharbourpropertymanagement.com/nyc-cracking-landlords-failing-fix-violations-withholding-rent/

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