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Q&A
HPD representative explains monitoring and litigation process for vacated buildings
1:03:06
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103 sec
AnnMarie Santiago, Deputy Commissioner for Enforcement Neighborhood Services at HPD, explains the agency's process for monitoring and potentially litigating cases of vacated buildings due to fires.
- Describes HPD's follow-up inspections and communication with owners
- Mentions the initiation of litigation in some cases, citing an example in The Bronx
- Highlights the goal of returning tenants to their homes and the challenges involved
AnnMarie Santiago
1:03:06
Thank you, council member.
1:03:07
I I will speak for HPD and related excuse me.
1:03:11
Specifically, the HPD vacates.
1:03:16
With relation to fire, after HPD issues a vacate in most buildings where six units or more have been vacated, HPD does follow-up with inspections, follows up with the owner to ensure that things are moving forward.
1:03:34
In some cases, we do initiate litigation on properties.
1:03:39
That litigation does take time unfortunately.
1:03:43
For example, we do have litigation against fourteen twenty Noble Avenue, which is a previous large fire in The Bronx also where the entire building is still vacated.
1:03:54
We have received one round of civil penalties, but that case continues against that property owner.
1:04:02
We have had cases where we've brought litigation and tenants have returned.
1:04:07
There was one down in Lower Manhattan, and we can certainly provide you with some examples.
1:04:13
We work as hard as we can to return tenants to their previous housing.
1:04:20
We can't do that in all cases.
1:04:21
There are a lot of vacates where there's just one unit or two units, and it's impossible for HPD to follow-up on all of them.
1:04:28
But certainly, if you have examples of buildings where you have a number of tenants who were vacated, especially if those tenants are receiving emergency housing services, so they're housed through our agency's housing, we do follow-up with those for that very reason.
1:04:45
Right?
1:04:45
Our goal is to get households, families back into their homes.