Res. No. 309 Title Resolution calling upon the appropriate Committee of the Council of the City of New York to hold hearings to compel the Department of Housing Preservation and Development to implement building-wide code enforcement inspections when requested through tenant petitions and to implement neighborhood cyclical inspections in order to preserve the housing stock. Body By Council Members Foster, Baez, Barron, Comrie, Gerson, Jackson, Lopez, Martinez, Perkins, Rivera, Serrano, Vann and Quinn Whereas, The Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) has the responsibility of preserving the City's housing stock through the enforcement of the Housing Maintenance Code; and Whereas, It is essential for HPD to follow-up on code violations with legal action to help save distressed buildings; and Whereas, HPD should be compelled to perform cyclical inspections of residential buildings in all neighborhoods at the request of community consultants or elected officials, building-wide inspections when requested through tenant petitions and apartment inspections at the request of individual tenants; and Whereas, It has been reported that HPD has not been conducting building-wide code enforcement inspections despite requests in tenant petitions; and Whereas, Building-wide code enforcement inspections are essential for tenant involvement in helping to preserve the buildings where these tenants reside and often result in better negotiations with landlords, the commencement of housing court actions where necessary, and the availability of other forms of assistance, including low-cost construction loans from HPD; and Whereas, The performance of cyclical inspections will help HPD identify buildings in need of intervention and will encourage some landlords to be more responsible for the upkeep of their buildings; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the appropriate Committee of the Council of the City of New York hold hearings to hearings to compel the Department of Housing Preservation and Development to implement building-wide code enforcement inspections when requested through tenant petitions and to implement neighborhood cyclical inspections in order to preserve the housing stock. TN/dd (examined by) LS# 658 05/31/02