The City Council has passed a bill enabling tenants to report vacant apartments in their buildings to the city housing agency. The bill, called Intro 195, allows tenants to report maintenance code issues to the Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) department and have empty units inspected if they pose a hazard to neighboring units. Tenants living among empty apartments have reported issues such as trash, mold, open windows, leaky gas pipes, and rodents. The bill aims to address the problem of “warehousing,” where landlords keep apartments vacant in anticipation of rent increases. However, landlord groups argue that the bill will not address the current issues with vacant rent-regulated units and may harm struggling buildings. The bill has support from tenants, advocates, and elected officials who rallied outside City Hall. HPD initially opposed the bill but now supports it after working with the Council. The bill would require HPD to spend an additional $150,000 to create an appointment system for inspections of vacant apartments. It also allows tenants to sue landlords to force inspections of vacant units. The bill’s backers believe tenant reports will help quantify the scale of warehousing. The Council has another pending bill that would require landlords to register empty apartments, but it has not yet received a vote.
https://www.thecity.nyc/2023/12/06/warehousing-vacant-apartments-report-council/