Owner penalized for neglect of Manee-Seguine Homestead

Owner of Staten Island landmark who failed to maintain property forced to give landmark to City after accruing $8.55 million in regulatory fines. The Manee-Seguine Homestead in Staten Island was built by Paulus Regrenier in 1670. The City designated the Homestead a City landmark in 1984. In September 2008, the Department of Buildings declared the Homestead was dangerous and dilapidated and ordered its demolition. The Landmarks Commission intervened, preventing the Homestead’s demolishment. Seguine Bay Estates … <Read More>


Plumber fined for 159 gas errors

Master Plumber submitted a large number of erroneous gas turn-on requests. The Department of Buildings surveyed all plumbing requests for sign-off and gas authorizations made by New York City licensed master plumbers between April 1, 2016 and October 31, 2016. The inspections by master licensed plumbers should ensure that all the necessary work and inspections have been accomplished prior to submitting a request for turning on the gas. Buildings identified ten licensed master plumbers who … <Read More>


Victoria’s Secret fined $7,200 for signs

Outdoor signs at Herald Square store exceeded the maximum allowable height. Victoria’s Secret, located in Herald Square at 1328 Broadway in Manhattan, maintained three outdoor signs that reached 37 feet above curb level. On November 23, 2015, the Department of Buildings charged Victoria’s Secret with violating the maximum allowable height of 25 feet as set out in Section 32-655 of the New York City Zoning Resolution. The officer charged Victoria’s Secret with three Class 2 … <Read More>


Agencies Distribute Information on the Dangers of Illegally-Converted Apartments

As part of campaign, list of 10 dangers created to help residents before they rent an illegally converted apartment. On December 5, 2018, the Department of Buildings in conjunction with the New York City Fire Department announced a citywide campaign to educate both tenants and property owners on the dangers of illegally-converted apartment. Representatives from both agencies will be distributing flyers throughout the five boroughs over the next three week.


Follow-Up Comptroller Audit Finds Previously Cited Privately Owned Public Spaces Still Non-Compliant

Audit reveals that Department of Buildings did not inspect non-compliant POPS locations. On November 22, 2017, the Office of the City Comptroller Scott Stringer released a report of a follow-up audit to determine whether the Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS), previously found noncompliant in an April 18, 2017 audit, now provided all required amenities, and what action if any were taken by the Department of Buildings to bring these POPS into compliance. To read CityLand’s<Read More>


HPD’s Lien for Shelter Upheld

HPD provided temporary housing for tenants and then filed liens against the tenants’ former landlords for expenses in providing the temporary housing. The Court of Appeals issued one opinion involving two separate cases concerning expenses incurred by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development for temporary shelter. In 1995 the Fire Department issued a vacate order affecting two tenants of a building in Brooklyn owned by David Rivera. HPD provided the tenants with temporary … <Read More>