Cited Owner Won’t Complete Emergency Repairs by Deadline

The DOB recently imposed an emergency vacate order after conducting a court-ordered inspection of a building on the Lower East Side. The DOB required the property owner to replace an unstable staircase within two weeks. This sudden evacuation, which displaced nearly 100 people, including 17 children, followed a month after the DHCR determined that apartments in the building are legally rent stabilized and tenants could stay.

A letter to community leaders from the owner stated, “it has become clear that safely removing and replacing the stairwell will require additional time beyond February 1 (DOB’s deadline). We have been advised that acting too hastily to remove and replace the stairwell would be counterproductive and do additional damage to the structural stability of the building, thus making it even more difficult to get families safely back into their homes.” The landlord says contractors have been working, “diligently each day, including weekends, to clear out debris, remove obstructions and prepare the site in compliance with the DOB’s rigorous structural stability requirements.”