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City: Landlords Must Fix 12 Buildings Or Public Aid Tenants' Rent Will Be Withheld

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The city has ordered eight landlords to fix violations in 12 buildings in Upper Manhattan in the Bronx, and will stop paying the rent for tenants on public aid if repairs are not made.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Public Advocate Letitia James announced Thursday that the landlords are to fix 2,075 code violations in the buildings quickly. The landlords are all on the Public Advocate's Worst Landlord Watchlist, according to a news release.

"Today we are stepping up our efforts to let irresponsible landlords know that their disregard for the health and safety of tenants will not be tolerated in our city," de Blasio said in a news release. "This multi-agency effort demonstrates that, by joining forces, we can uphold our commitment to preserve decent and affordable housing for all New Yorkers."

The city is using the 1962 Spiegel Law, which allows the Human Resources Administration and the Department of Social Services to withhold rent payments for tenants on public aid if conditions are "dangerous, hazardous or detrimental to life and health," the release said.

Under the law, property owners must contact the Department of Housing Preservation and Development within 15 days of receiving orders to make repairs and request a reinspection afterward. If the landlords do not meet the deadline, the city will begin withholding rent payments and may take legal action, the release said.

The law does not allow landlords to evict tenants whose rent is being withheld.

"New York is not a city that subsidizes mistreatment of tenants, and that is why we are taking legal action today against unscrupulous landlords. For too long, these bad actors have forced tenants to live in dangerous and unsanitary conditions, while receiving public assistance payments – today that practice ends," James said in the news release. "Together, we will ensure that every New Yorker has the safe and decent home they deserve."

Of the violations in the buildings, 358 are considered Class C, or "immediately hazardous," such as inadequate fire exits, rodents, lead-based paint, and lack of heat, hot water, electricity or gas.

The buildings are located in West Harlem, Washington Heights and Inwood in Manhattan, and Fordham Manor, Fordham Heights, Claremont, and Grand Concourse in the Bronx.

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