Online Alerts

Online Alerts

Mayor Announces LeadFreeNYC Plan to End Childhood Lead Exposure

February 7, 2019    

Mayor de Blasio and Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia, the new interim NYCHA chair, recently released the city’s “Roadmap to Eliminating Childhood Lead Exposure,” following a 90-day review of all agencies’ policies related to lead prevention. The plan will screen...

HPD Takes Enforcement Action Against 250 Troubled NYC Buildings

February 7, 2019    

HPD Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer recently announced that 250 apartment buildings have been placed in HPD’s Alternative Enforcement Program (AEP). The added buildings each have enough Housing Maintenance Code violations to allow for enhanced enforcement by HPD, which may include roof-...

Maria Torres-Springer Stepping Down as HPD Commissioner

February 7, 2019    

Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced that Maria Torres-Springer will step down as Commissioner of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development in early March to take on a new role as Vice President of U.S. Programs for the Ford Foundation. 

Judge Grants Injunction Against Airbnb Disclosure Law

January 10, 2019    

A Manhattan judge recently blocked new legislation that required Airbnb to turn over detailed data about their hosts. The law, which was set to take effect in February 2019, would have provided the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement with the names and addresses of hosts, the type of...

Last Day to Place Christmas Trees Curbside Is Jan. 12

January 10, 2019    

The city’s Department of Sanitation (DOS) will be conducting special curbside collections for mulching and recycling Christmas trees through Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019. Recycling trees and wreaths doesn’t just help the environment. It also helps eliminate the fire hazard posed by...

Gov. Cuomo Outlines His Goals for First 100 Days in New Term

January 10, 2019    

In a speech last month at the New York City Bar Association, Gov. Andrew Cuomo outlined an ambitious agenda for the first 100 days of his third term, which started Jan. 1. As part of his agenda, the governor intends to reform rent regulations, including ending vacancy decontrol, repealing...

Low-Income Housing Developer Group Advocates for Rent Regulation Reforms

December 5, 2018    

For the first time, a group of low-income housing developers is teaming up with low-income tenant activists to push for rent regulation reforms. The New York State Association for Affordable Housing, along with groups that include the Legal Aid Society, VOCAL New York, Enterprise Community...

Mayor de Blasio Seeks Private Management of Public Housing Projects

December 5, 2018    

Mayor de Blasio recently announced Requests for Proposals for the private management of 21 public housing projects. Through the public-private partnerships and HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) intends to bring comprehensive...

Owner Fined $53,100 for Tenants’ Illegal Airbnb Use

December 5, 2018    

In a recent decision, the Appellate Division found that owners cannot claim ignorance if inspectors find that tenants used online sites to rent out their units for short-term stays. The court affirmed fines for the illegal conversion of residential units into hotel rooms.

HPD Releases ‘Speculation Watch List’ to Fight Displacement

November 1, 2018    

HPD recently announced the release of the “Speculation Watch List,” a new tool to track rent-regulated properties that may have been purchased by predatory investors and identify properties for enhanced tenant support. The city is making this information available so that tenants and...

RPA Study Looks at Impact of ‘Bad Landlords’

November 1, 2018    

According to research recently published by the Regional Plan Association (RPA), a handful of landlords is responsible for a disproportionate amount of the city’s poor housing and eviction cases. RPA labels these landlords as “bad landlords” and defines them as having: (1) a...

NYBC Issues Latest NYC Construction Outlook

November 1, 2018    

Construction spending will reach $61.5 billion in 2018, a new record high for the city, according to the Construction Outlook 2018–2020 report produced by the New York Building Congress (NYBC) and the New York Building Foundation. The report states this spending reflects a 25 percent...