On Feb. 11, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn gave her final state of the city speech and, in doing so, laid out a proposal she says will make housing more affordable for New Yorkers. During her speech, she also unveiled a new study about the city’s shrinking middle class, showing that...
DOS Violations: Landlord’s Incapacity Doesn’t Excuse Violations
DOS issued 24 violations to landlord between August 2007 and May 2010 for failing to separate recyclables from other trash, improper storage of receptacles, failing to keep the sidewalk in front...
A bill that gets tougher on owners who make cosmetic repairs to buildings but fail to address underlying structural problems was recently passed by the city council. The bill passed unanimously and now goes to the mayor’s desk for his signature. If it becomes law, there will be a...
On Nov. 30, Mayor Bloomberg and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Carter H. Strickland Jr. announced that the city would temporarily suspend water bills for properties that were severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy.
Mayor Bloomberg, the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), Community Preservation Corporation (CPC), and Housing Development Corporation (HDC), together with Citi Community Capital, recently launched the Storm Recovery Loan Fund, a pilot program to provide up to...
DOH Violations: Landlord Responsible for Condition Yielding Mosquitoes
DOHMH issued a violation notice to landlord after finding a large container next to his building that held standing water and organic material. DOHMH claimed that this condition was conducive to the...
DOB Violations: Landlord Exempt from Filing Local Law 11 Report
DOB issued a violation notice to landlord for failing to file an amended report to confirm the correction of unsafe building facade conditions described in the initial report he filed under Local Law 11 of...
A group of tenants in Manhattan Beach recently went to court to make their building’s owner get rid of a foul smell that Superstorm Sandy left behind. According to tenants, a smell has permeated the 49-unit property ever since sea water flooded the basement and sprang leaks in stored fuel...
State and federal officials are worried about an increase in the number of those displaced by Hurricane Sandy seeking temporary shelter. Although many people have stayed home despite having neither heat nor hot water, particularly in city housing projects in Coney Island and the Rockaways,...
Attorney's Fees: Tenant Gets Attorney's Fees in Discrimination Case
Prospective tenant, a 45-year-old disabled man with AIDS, sued a real estate broker for housing discrimination after it refused to show him any apartments. Tenant had disclosed that he had a...
Discrimination: Preliminary Injunction to Reinstall Building Ramps Denied
Disabled tenants sued landlord for violations of the federal Fair Housing Act and New York State Fire Prevention and Building Code. They claimed that landlord improperly removed wheelchair ramps...
Discrimination: Landlord Discriminated Based on Sexual Orientation
Tenant complained to the state Division of Human Rights (DHR) of housing discrimination based on sexual orientation. The DHR ruled for tenant, awarded damages and fines, and then sued landlord to enforce...
