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De Blasio Hopes New Slumlord Watchlist Shames Landlords
By
Ben Yakas
Published Aug 31, 2010
Modified Aug 31, 2010
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Aug 31, 2010
Modified Aug 31, 2010
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Yesterday, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio launched a new online slumlord watchlist, in an attempt to hold landlords accountable in a way they never have been before. "When you or I get a parking ticket, we have to pay. When a landlord gets a violation for a health and safety problem, they ignore it in many cases and then they ignore it and then they ignore it again," he told the Daily News.
Helena Wong, who works with tenants as director of CAAV Organizing Asian Communities, agrees about a lack of consequences: "They use loopholes to delay the process. They say, 'Okay, I'll fix it, I'll fix it,' and they even sign an agreement saying they'll fix it, but that doesn't mean it will get fixed." While continuing to fight for more fines for scalawag landlords, De Blasio hopes the new list shames some landlords into fixing their places, and that Mayor Bloomberg will sign a City Council-approved bill requiring every building to register all owners with a 25% stake, using a real address, not a post office box.
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bill de blasio
housing
list
Slumlord
watch list
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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