Separating Myth from Fact: New Report!

Landlords have been warehousing rent stabilized apartments all over New York City in part claiming that owners lack money to bring the units up to code to rent out again. 

A new report from the Coalition to End Apartment Warehousing debunks that claim.  So even before massive construction that the City has proposed, there are existing apartments that people in this district could live in with minimal expenditures by the landlords. 

New Yorkers ask to make vacant units available

In response to the NY Times article on how to make New York City more affordable, some posts pointed to vacant units.

Chris in Queens, for example, wrote: 

I would also like to see some kind of residency requirement, where if you own a property and you don't either rent it out or live in it for a certain amount of time, you have to pay a stiff penalty. I don't like that people can just buy property and sit on it, driving up housing costs for everyone else.

That's followed by a long discussion - including how one might show the apartment owner is not really living there. But that question doesn't matter where landlords of large buildings with many rent-stabilized apartments are refusing to rent out those that become vacant.  We need a better law!

 

Rally to get City to implement Local Law 1!

 

Putting Local Law 1 into action - inspection of vacant apartments

With the sponsorship of Council Members Carlina Rivera and Gale Brewer, we won passage of Local Law 1 of 2024. That law requires landlords to keep vacant apartments in good repair.  It also allows neighbors to call 311 to get inspections of those apartments whose hazardous conditions affect them.  

BUT the City's Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD) has NOT implemented the bill yet.  Despite an 8-month delay to get funding and set things up, tenants still cannot call 311 and ask for an inspection of vacant units near them. 

So, come to a 

RALLY 

with Council Members 

on 

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10 at 10:30 AM 

at City Hall to 

Demand Local Law 1 of 2024 Go Into Effect. 

Join our Zoom: bit.ly/917KYR at 7 PM on 9/17!

 Click here to join our Town Hall on Zoom at 7 PM on Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024.

Sept. 17:Tenants' Rights Teach-in!

 

Get City to inspect vacant apts with hazards! - new law in effect

You can now report maintenance code issues in VACANT APARTMENTS to the City's Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) department via 311. City officials will inspect vacant units that may pose a hazard to those in apartments nearby - hazards like

• Open windows and doors
• Leaks, defective plumbing
• Mold
• Pests
• Garbage
• Lack of smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors
• Fire hazards.

Tenants can now sue landlords to force them to open up vacant apartments for inspection for nuisance conditions.  

The owner must schedule an HPD inspection of the vacant unit within 21 days. 

Click here for a flyer to download and share!