The city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is putting the pressure on owners of 250 of New York City’s “worst” apartment buildings — accounting for roughly 39,000 open violations and $3.4 million in unpaid emergency repairs — to fix a laundry list of neglected housing code violations.
Among the 250 buildings selected by HPD, the Bronx has the highest amount of total households listed at 2,006, and second-most buildings at 75.
Through its Alternate Enforcement Program (AEP), HPD identifies and selects buildings in the city accruing major housing code violations, including unaddressed mold and heat outages, and puts the onus on building managers and owners to address said violations within a few months notice.
According to HPD, if a building owner does not address violations within the first four months of the program, the owners could be levied with significant fees and an order to correct — which requires owners to address violations, fix faulty building infrastructure and clear at least 80% of open mold and pest violations.
The Alternate Enforcement Program has been around since 2007, and in the program’s 16th round. The Bronx is the most heavily represented on the list, including large clusters of poorly maintained buildings in South Bronx council districts 16 and 17 and Council District 15, one of the city’s highest eviction zones.
The Bronx is also the city’s coldest borough, having received 42,050 unique heat complaints throughout 2022, according to an annual study by RentHop, an apartment-search web platform. Eighty percent of the 20 coldest NYC neighborhoods reside in the Bronx, and heat and hot water complaints in all boroughs rose by 24% from Oct. 1, 2022 to Jan. 10.
“Landlords across the city need to know that if they don’t do right by their tenants, we will take action,” said HPD Commissioner Adolfo Carrión Jr., the former Bronx borough president. “All New Yorkers deserve safe, well-maintained homes and our Alternative Enforcement Program is one of our sharpest tools for improving the lives of people who live in the most distressed buildings across the city.”
According to HPD, violations in the most recent round of buildings include 10,428 for immediately hazardous conditions such as mold, evidence of rodents, lead-based paint and inoperable self-closing doors. Another 21,081 violations are for other hazardous conditions, such as leaks or holes in the plaster or sheet rock.
The 2023 AEP list also includes 33 buildings in Manhattan representing 733 homes; 117 buildings in Brooklyn representing 1,605 homes; and 25 buildings in Queens representing 537 homes. HPD says it’s Housing Litigation Division is seeking repairs in housing court against owners of 46 of the buildings selected for the program.
Below is a list of Bronx buildings identified in HPD’s 2023 Alternate Enforcement Program:
4014 AMUNDSON AVE.
974 ANDERSON AVE.
1191 ANDERSON AVE.
2160 ANTHONY AVE.
2723 BARNES AVE.
2384 BELMONT AVE.
1898 BILLINGSLEY TERRACE
1384 BOSTON ROAD
1390 BOSTON ROAD
3750 BRONX BLVD.
250 BROOK AVE.
504 BROOK AVE.
735 BRYANT AVE.
2443 CAMBRELENG AVE.
1110 COLLEGE AVE.
1142 COLLEGE AVE.
2537 DECATUR AVE.
342 E. 148 ST.
727 E. 156 ST.
291 E. 162 ST.
450 E. 165 ST.
214 E. 168 ST.
363 E. 180 ST.
490 E. 181 ST.
416 E. 187 ST.
553 E. 188 ST.
712 E. 214 ST.
854 E. 214 ST.
716 E. 216 ST.
855 E. 217 ST.
864 E. 221 ST.
709 FAIRMOUNT PLACE
1056 FINDLAY AVE.
1125 FINDLAY AVE.
3444 FISH AVE.
1067 GRANT AVE.
3804 GREYSTONE AVE.
1118 JACKSON AVE.
2128 JEROME AVE.
3036 KINGSBRIDGE TERRACE
1315 LAFAYETTE AVE.
1255 LONGFELLOW AVE.
1485 MACOMBS ROAD
857 MACY PLACE
106 MARCY PLACE
2557 MARION AVE.
1967 MARMION AVE.
918 MORRIS AVE.
1235 MORRIS AVE.
1380 OGDEN AVE.
4585 PARK AVE.
3816 REVIEW PLACE
2105 RYER AVE.
725 SOUTHERN BLVD.
1202 SPOFFORD AVE.
903 SUMMIT AVE.
993 SUMMIT AVE.
1723 TAYLOR AVE.
2240 TIEBOUT AVE.
2489 TIEBOUT AVE.
1750 TOPPING AVE.
2348 UNIVERSITY AVE.
2028 VALENTINE AVE.
540 VAN NEST AVE.
2572 WALLACE AVE.
1770 WALTON AVE.
1088 WASHINGTON AVE.
2179 WASHINGTON AVE.
64 W. 165 ST.
806 WESTCHESTER AVE.
1531 WESTCHESTER AVE.
