Gotbaum Surveys Renters to Better Solve Housing Problems

Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum surveyed New Yorkers today at 125th Street and Lexington Avenue in Harlem as part of her new effort to evaluate housing conditions citywide and offer more effective advocacy for renters. The survey covers several of the major problems tenants face, including lead paint, vermin, and inadequate security, and asks tenants whether their landlords have installed carbon monoxide detectors and window guards as required by law.

“No New Yorker should have to live with rats, broken door locks, or toxic paint on the walls,” Gotbaum said. “This survey will give my office the information it needs to assess housing problems citywide and come up with solutions that make tenants’ lives better.”

Since January 2002, the Office of the Public Advocate has received nearly two thousand calls from constituents with complaints about the condition of their homes. The most frequent complaints involve maintenance issues, including a lack of heat or hot water. Gotbaum’s ombuds unit has ensured the repair of broken elevators, forced landlords to install ramps for disabled tenants, and in the most severe cases, gotten court-appointed administrators to take over the management of neglected buildings. Surveyed tenants will be encouraged to contact the Office at 212-669-7250 if they need help resolving a dispute with a negligent landlord.

“Landlords need to be held accountable for the living conditions of their tenants,” Gotbaum said. “I’m here today reaching out to the community so that mistreated renters know they have someone on their side.”

Representatives of the Office of the Public Advocate are currently conducting the survey in neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs with a focus on low-income areas. Gotbaum said she expected to release the results of the survey by the end of the summer.