The “NYC’s Blueprint for Housing” was recently released by the Adams administration who is devoting more funding for inspectors to proactively seek and enforce housing code violations. Through proactive inspections and targeted outreach, HPD will no longer wait for 311 complaints, instead, they are going to proactively inspect units for compliance and will aggressively pursue landlords with actual or suspected violations. To this end, HPD will target buildings where cross-agency data indicate that housing quality issues could be putting the health and safety of residents at risk, even where complaints have not been directly filed with the City.
Pest Control: HPD and DOHMH have often partnered to track and address bedbug infestations. Now, the Agencies will join forces to take enhanced enforcement measures against properties with a pattern of roach and mouse violations. HPD will share data and help DOHMH target properties for enforcement, requiring property owners to implement Integrated Pest Management (IPM). For property owners who fail to comply, DOHMH will issue summonses subject to monetary penalties.
Lead Based Paint: HPD is investing in additional training, and technology to increase enforcement of lead-based paint violations. The updated NYC lead paint regulations state that landlords must have all of their pre-1960 apartment units’ lead-based paint inspected no later than August 2025 utilizing XRF technology and new lower testing thresholds (0.5mg/cm2). One of the most striking statements in the housing blueprint said “to allow for the additional inspections and enforcement work that will arise as a result, the Mayor’s Executive Budget commits an additional $7.5 million to HPD for lead enforcement.”
Fire Safety: HPD issues tens of thousands of violations related to fire safety each year. This information will now be used by FDNY to inform its model for identifying buildings that are at higher risk for more dangerous fires. FDNY’s Risk-Based Inspection System uses data from multiple sources to track, score, prioritize, and then automatically schedule approximately 50,000 buildings for annual inspection. Currently, the risk model contains characteristics including the building’s construction material, whether or not the building has a sprinkler system, the height and age of the building, last date of inspection and occupancy. The system also captures and tracks violation history and building information from several other city agency databases including DCP, DOB, DEP, and DOF. Adding in HPD fire safety violations will further strengthen the way that FDNY conducts inspections.
Weber Realty Management is equipped with the resources and experience to effectively balance budgeting and compliance. As your dedicated property manager, Weber Realty will identify and resolve suspected violations so your building is in good standing with the City to avoid costly penalties and liability.