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Q&A
Discussion on the process of notifying tenants about lifting of vacate orders
1:37:10
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Council Member Pierina Ana Sanchez questions HPD and DOB representatives about the process of notifying tenants when vacate orders are lifted and they can return home. The discussion reveals gaps in the confirmation process.
- HPD notifies owners that they are required to inform tenants, but doesn't have a formal process to confirm this communication has occurred.
- DOB doesn't have a specific requirement for owners to prove they've informed tenants.
- Both agencies rely on tenants reaching out if they haven't been informed about returning home.
- Council Member Sanchez expresses concern about the lack of a formal process to ensure tenants receive this critical information.
Pierina Ana Sanchez
1:37:10
Does HPD or DOB require the owner to prove that they have told the communicated this information to tenants when they can go back home?
AnnMarie Santiago
1:37:20
HPD does notify the owner that they are required to do that and generally we hear directly from the tenant if they are not being allowed to go back home.
1:37:30
And we did recently have a case where we needed to work with the owner to ensure that the tenant was restored.
Pierina Ana Sanchez
1:37:37
But is there any way in which HPD or Department of Buildings is hearing, is confirming with the owner?
1:37:45
Did you tell them?
1:37:45
Did you tell them they can go back home?
AnnMarie Santiago
1:37:47
I will check with our special enforcement unit if we receive some kind of confirmation back from the
Pierina Ana Sanchez
1:37:51
landlord.
1:37:53
DOB?
Yigal Shemash
1:37:59
Yeah, I don't think there's any specific requirement but again we do have the office of tenant advocate.
1:38:07
If the tenants reach out we will gladly give them the information or it's publicly available again on our BIS page.
Pierina Ana Sanchez
1:38:17
Okay because this is something that I've heard time and again from residents.
1:38:21
We didn't know we could go back in.
1:38:22
We don't know what's going on.
1:38:23
There's just a general amount of concern around not having the information that would help them stabilize themselves again.