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The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene recently proposed an update to its window guard regulations. The proposed rules include updated language and technical requirements intended to better protect children in a city where window types and safety technologies have evolved. If finalized, the new rules would take effect on Jan. 1, 2026, replacing the entirety of current Chapter 12 of the city’s Health Code.
The Department of Buildings has brought back its annual No-Penalty Inspection Program for summer 2025. The program offers penalty-free safety inspections to small landlords across New York City. For 2025, the program runs from May 19 through June 30, a shift from prior years when it ran from late June through July.
Owners should prepare for another increase in water and sewer charges, although the proposed hike for Fiscal Year 2026 is smaller than in recent years. The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has put forward a 3.7 percent increase, which, if approved by the NYC Water Board, would go into effect on July 1, 2025.
The city has opened the application process for a new program that offers owners a way to reduce fire hazards while providing an amenity for tenants. We go over the details of charging and swapping cabinets that may be installed adjacent to buildings and the specifics of the formal application process.
As May 1 approaches, owners face a dense lineup of compliance deadlines tied to the city’s push for safer, greener buildings. Four separate local laws, some newly in force and others ongoing, all share the same due date. This year marks the first mandatory reporting date under Local Law 97, the city’s sweeping climate legislation targeting building emissions. At the same time, owners must meet existing requirements under Local Laws 84 and 88, including energy benchmarki...
New monthly surcharges take effect immediately, and the state housing agency will apply them in all currently pending cases in which the owner is seeking a surcharge for one of these tenant-installed appliances. It’s important to note that the surcharge policy applies only to washing machines, dryers, and dishwashers. No surcharges can be imposed for other tenant-installed appliances such as refrigerators or garbage disposals.
The NYC Department of Finance requires certain owners of residential properties to file the Real Property Income & Expense Statement (RPIE) every year. The DOF uses the information from this filing to value your property accurately for the upcoming tax year. If you miss the filing deadline, the penalty is up to 5 percent of your property’s actual assessed value.
We go over who qualifies to perform inspections, explain what’s involved in the inspection process, and provide details on the deadlines and penalties tied to noncompliance.
Filing for a lead-based paint exemption will ensure you get the benefits of having lead-paint-free spaces that are no longer subject to some of the Local Law 1 requirements.
In its latest attempt to violate the Regina ruling, the Legislature has proposed retroactively changing the method for calculating rents in apartments affected by the Roberts ruling.
New York City recently enacted a bill that adds two new additions to the lengthy list of protected classes under the New York City Human Rights Law. The law, which will go into effect on Nov. 22, 2023, makes it illegal to discriminate against an apartment buyer, renter, job applicant, independent contractor, or current employee based on the person’s perceived weight and height.
New York City joins six other cities and one state that passed similar legislatio...
By Todd I. Nahins, Senior Partner, Borah, Goldstein, Altschuler, Nahins and Goidel, P.C.
The last time I wrote on the state of the Housing Court was over four years ago; I was not happy with the delays in obtaining trial dates and the length of time in which the judges took to render their decisions. Now I long for those days.
Among the many amendments made to New York’s rent stabilization laws by the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (HSTPA) were new provisions making attorney’s fees mandatory for tenants represented by counsel who make successful rent overcharge claims. At the same time, there is no provision in the amended laws for an owner to recover attorney’s fees in the event that it successfully defends against an overcharge claim. As amended, Rent ...