It’s always heartening to see a city realizing that aggressive, not passive, code enforcement is what is necessary to protect communities. The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) announced a new initiative, the Proactive Housing Preservation Initiative. The ANHD Inc. website reports:
This agency shift from its old passive method of enforcement to more aggressive monitoring of building code compliance means that housing maintenance code violations, like leaky roofs, excessive vermin, etc., should be spotted much sooner. Furthermore, outstanding violations, which often remain unfixed for extended periods of time, should be remedied much more quickly with a more aggressive HPD monitoring the landlord’s efforts to clear the violations.
The problem is that too often these initiatives come into being because the problem has gotten so bad, and the buildings so dilapidated that it’s terribly difficult to get the property rehabilitated.
Mark Domenico, Director of codes department 8 years ago started the most proactive codes inforcement program in the country. Totally proactive. Model not only for NYS but the country.
He sounds like the kind of person I’d like to meet.