Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion held a public meeting on how the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) plan to coordinate efforts to respond to emergencies related to the lack of heat in Bronx buildings in this year’s winter season. Subsequently, Carrion announced legislation that will be introduced by Majority leader Joel Rivera (D- Bronx) and Councilmember Maria Baez (D- Bronx) at his request.
The legislation would require landlords to inspect their boilers before the start of the heating season and post a notice stating that their equipment has been satisfactorily inspected. If landlords fail to inspect their boilers or post the required notice, they would incur serious fines.
Carrion said: “Once again, as temperatures dip below the freezing mark, many heat- related complaints are being ignored, and it is costing people their lives. Individuals or organizations that do not provide adequate heat and hot water to their tenants are breaking the law. I am putting all building owners, including the city, on notice that Bronx residents will not be forced to endure another winter without heat. We will not allow one more innocent person to die because of the errant practices of building owners. I will publicly hold every ‘slumlord’ accountable and I will see to it that if they refuse to provide heat, they will have to answer to me, the press and the authorities.”
He continued, “New Yorkers have the right to a safe, warm home. Often times, our laws seek to punish violators rather than prevent violations. The current system of boiler inspections is nonsensical. Although HPD makes every effort to fix boilers when they break, and the Department of Buildings (DOB) works to ensure that all boilers have been inspected, the current law colludes against their success. Allowing landlords to inspect their boilers in the middle of winter is a recipe for disaster, which has been tried and failed.”
Carrion released a report, “Still No Heat for the Bronx: What Happened Since the Last Report and What Can be Done,” that addresses complaints and violations for heat problems, during the 2004-2005 winter heating season and the current 2005-2006 winter heating season, in the Bronx and in New York City as a whole. It also analyzes specific instances in recent months where people have died due to circumstances related to the lack of heat in apartment buildings.
The report also examines the role that the HPD, DOB, and the Environment Control Board (ECB) play in preventing and addressing reported complaints and violations for heat problems.
