Image by Uwe Conrad from Pixabay
Through the Alternative Enforcement Program, the city will increase monitoring and make repairs when landlords fail to act
TODAY, Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) released an updated list of the 250 buildings with the most severe housing code violations citywide, placing them under heightened oversight through the Alternative Enforcement Program (AEP).
AEP, now in its 19th year, allows the city to closely monitor repeat offenders, conduct more frequent inspections, issue Orders to Correct and step in directly to make repairs when owners fail to do so, billing landlords for the cost. The 250 buildings selected this year account for nearly 55,000 open violations and owe the city nearly $4.5 million for emergency repairs already performed.
During the ongoing cold emergency, HPD has also treated this winter conditions as an all-hands-on-deck effort, maximizing staffing to respond to approximately 37,000 complaints in January and closing 98% of them as of Feb. 4.
The 250 buildings selected for this year’s AEP list include 7,038 homes and account for 54,909 open housing code violations, reflecting widespread and persistent disrepair. The building with the most open “B” and “C” violations issued over the past five years – more than 1,000 of the most serious violations – is 34-15 Parsons Blvd., registered to an LLC within the A&E Real Estate Holdings portfolio.
Building owners on this year’s AEP round owe the city nearly $4.5 million for failing to correct critical violations, triggering emergency interventions by HPD. Additionally, HPD’s Housing Litigation Division is a party to action against the owners of 138 buildings in housing court to force compliance.
About the Alternative Enforcement Program (AEP)
The AEP program targets buildings with serious, unresolved violations that indicate landlords are failing to maintain basic living conditions. Each year, HPD designates a new round of buildings for AEP based on excessive housing code violations which directly impact tenants’ well-being, and landlords are required to repay the city for any emergency repairs HPD completes. Building owners can be discharged from AEP within months if they quickly resolve violations and settle outstanding emergency repair charges or enter a payment agreement with the City. If an owner fails to comply, HPD may escalate enforcement by taking legal action in Housing Court. HPD monitors buildings discharged from AEP for at least one year to ensure conditions remain stable, and re-selection for future AEP rounds can trigger immediate enforcement measures.