Dos & Don'ts

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The Department of Buildings (DOB) takes tenant safety seriously. And any types of obstructions or locks on fire exits and passageways are grounds for a Class 1 immediately hazardous violation. In one recent case, the DOB issued such a violation after inspectors found that a fire passageway beneath the building was obstructed by a scissor gate secured with a padlock and chain.

Periodically check that any noise-producing building systems, such as air circulation devices, don't exceed unreasonable noise levels. N.Y.C. Administrative Code Section 27-218 provides that no person shall cause or permit “unreasonable noise,” which is defined in the Building Code as any excessive or unusually loud sound that disturbs the peace or comfort of a reasonable person of normal sensitivities, or injures or endangers health or damages property....

When you make a repair to a tenant's apartment, always keep a record of what was done, no matter how minor the work. Keep bills and canceled checks for any materials or parts that were used to do the work. If someone other than an employee made the repairs, keep copies of the bills, as well as any receipts or canceled checks proving that you paid for the rep...

If your building has a master antenna, you should make sure it works even if few tenants use the master antenna to receive television broadcasting and even if it was never a registered required service for your building.

Make sure nothing in your lease requires rent-stabilized tenants to pay their rent in advance. For example, if you require prospective tenants to pay a year's rent in advance, the Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) may consider the rent paid to be a rent overcharge.

If you have a tenant who is a military service member and needs to terminate a lease due to military orders for relocation, you should return any prepaid rent and security deposits due or you may be in violation of federal law, specifically the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA).