DOB audited: Hazardous conditions remain

The New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) has repeatedly come up short in ensuring that hazardous conditions in city structures are corrected, according to an audit released by City Comptroller William C. Thompson on June 24.
According to the audit, which covered fiscal year 2007, the DOB failed to re-inspect 20 percent of properties targeted for re-evaluation, as inspectors could not gain access. Additionally, the report found, DOB has not strengthened its current programs, nor has it sufficiently utilized its role as issuer of building-related permits.
“It is simply unacceptable that DOB has permitted buildings with multiple open hazardous violations to go un-inspected for years,” Thompson said in a statement. “Even by DOB’s own admission these are the worst cases, yet it has stood by and let the violations go unchecked and put New Yorkers at risk.”
Thompson issued the DOB audit after elected officials and housing advocates expressed concern that the agency was not acting efficiently enough to guarantee the safe and timely correction of violations.
As part of its assessment, the audit reviewed 14 buildings with three or more pending hazardous violations issued between September 2003 and December 2004. Of the 14, six violations had yet to be resolved at the time of the audit and, as of March 2008, DOB had not taken any action on 5 of the 6 outstanding violations.
Additionally, auditors learned that DOB did not assess compliance for 33 percent of its 1,628 self-certifications, concluding that DOB is limited in its ability to require property owners to respond to violations.
“DOB must be more aggressive in the use of its resources to avoid or diminish the risks associated with uncorrected violating conditions that threaten public safety,” Thompson said.
DOB, which is responsible for maintaining the safe and lawful use of over 950,000 buildings and properties across the city, said in response to the audit that “…the Department is in the process, or has implemented, all of the recommendations contained in the report…the content of these recommendations has helped the Department review and strengthen our procedures.”