NYC Tenant Research for Librarians

1. NYC Tenant Research for Librarians Melissa Gasparotto Radical Reference Skillshare October 14, 2007 ABC No Rio

2. Housing Questions Are Often Prompted by Emergencies • Housing is an emotional issue. By the time a patron comes to you for assistance, s/he may be facing the threat of unaffordable rent increases, harassment, eviction, etc. • Patrons will repeatedly ask for legal advice. Since librarians cannot do this, knowing how to refer patrons to appropriate organizations and/or government agencies is paramount. • It’s important to get the referral right the first time. Tenants in vulnerable positions can easily slip through administrative cracks when passed from one agency/organization to another. • Like all other reference questions, the patron may not adequately state the problem right away. This can result in hours spent on wild goose chases.

3. Sample Patron Questions • Are there any violations on my building? • What is my status as a tenant? (Rent stabilized/Rent controlled?) • Who owns my building? • Is my apartment legal? (ex. basement apt., no window in kitchen, etc.) • Is my rent legal? (Is it registered?) • How do I apply for DRIE/SCRIE? • How do I find affordable housing?

4. Sample Patron Questions, cont. • How do we form a tenant’s association? • What is the proper process to follow before going on rent strike? • How do I report a negligent absentee landlord? • What is the history of my building? • Does my building have a J-51 tax abatement? What does this have to do with my status as a rent stabilized tenant? • Can I deny my landlord entry to my unit?

5. Sample Patron Questions, cont. • How do I apply for Section 8? • My landlord added something called a Major Capital Improvement increase to my rent. What the %#*! is that, and is it legal? • My apartment has peeling lead paint—how do I get my landlord to remove the hazard? • I am a rent stabilized/ rent controlled tenant in a co-op. What are my rights?

6. Public Information Sources • Databases (Government, Non-profit, Commercial) • Fact sheets and other publications issued by city agencies, boards or advocacy organizations • Print resources issued by commercial vendors • Administrative code • Laws

7. The Problem is TOO MUCH information • Librarians should be aware of which agencies oversee which issues, in order to direct patrons to the appropriate database, code, etc. • Agency data is not pooled in any meaningful way by the city. Outside organizations and/or commercial firms provide aggregating services. • Some aggregators are better than others. It’s a good idea to cross-reference all available sources.

8. Public Databases • Department of Housing Preservation & Development • HPD Building Info Database (http://167.153.4.71/hpdonline/provide_address.aspx) • Violations on a unit-by-unit basis, past and present • Owner name and mailing address, emergency contact information (property manager, etc.) • Info on emergency repairs performed by the City • Pending litigation

9. Public Databases, cont. • Department of Buildings • Building Information System (http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/bsqpm01.jsp) • Construction permits applied for and/or issued • Certificate(s) of occupancy • DOB Violations • Database of ongoing construction projects (new buildings, major alterations and full demolitions) by neighborhood

10. Public Databases, cont. • Department of Finance • Automated City Register Information System—ACRIS (http://www.nyc.gov/html/dof/html/jump/acris.shtml) • Title history • Sales prices (erratic) • Occasional lease, air rights transfer, miscellaneous documentation • Scanned images of most documents

11. Public Databases, cont. • Department of Finance • Property Information System (http://nycserv.nyc.gov/nycproperty/nynav/jsp/selectbbl.jsp) • Property tax rates, formulas, bills and payment histories • J-51 Benefits History Database • (http://webapps.nyc.gov:8084/cics/cwba/dfhwbtta/abhq) • Loft Board • (http://www.nyc.gov/html/loft/html/home/home.shtml) • Database of lofts throughout the city

12. Aggregators • OASIS NYC • Open Accessible Space Information System (http://www.oasisnyc.net/oasismap.htm) • GIS mapping database • Includes property report with links to city agency databases • Map layers include land use data, parks and other open space, environmental hazards, aerial photos

13. Aggregators, cont. • Center for New York City Law • CityAdmin (http://www.citylaw.org/cityadmin.php) • Searchable library of decisions by city agencies, including Loft Board and Board of Standards & Appeals • Property Shark • (http://www.propertyshark.com/mason/) • Commercial service, only portions of which are free.

14. Fact Sheets, Calculators, etc. • Rent Guidelines Board • (http://www.housingnyc.com/index.html) • Fact sheets, codes, laws, etc. • Rent stabilized building list: (http://www.housingnyc.com/html/resources/zip.html) • Vacancy lease calculator • Useful life schedule for Major Capital Improvements

15. Fact Sheets, cont. • Division of Housing and Community Renewal • (http://www.dhcr.state.ny.us/) • Administers rent control & stabilization • Nice glossary of rent regulation terms, with links to appropriate fact sheets (http://www.dhcr.state.ny.us/ora/progs/oraprogs.htm#defins) • Forms for landlords and tenants organized by topic (http://www.dhcr.state.ny.us/ora/infobytopic.htm)

16. Fact Sheets, cont. • New York State Attorney General • (http://www.oag.state.ny.us/realestate/tenants_rights_guide.html) • Tenant’s Rights Guide • NYC Department of Buildings • (http://www.nyc.gov/html/dob/html/reference/code_internet.shtml) • Building Code

17. Fact Sheets, cont. • New York City Affordable Housing Resource Center • (http://www.nyc.gov/html/housinginfo/html/home/home.shtml) • Clearinghouse for information on finding affordable housing, finding legal assistance, applying for subsidies, reporting maintenance problems

18. Fact Sheets, cont. • City-Wide Task Force on Housing Court • (http://www.cwtfhc.org/factsheets.html) • Housing Court Fact Sheets • Tenant.net • (http://www.tenant.net/) • Articles, fact sheets, summaries of select Housing Court decisions of interest, forum

19. Fact Sheets, cont. • Met Council on Housing • (http://www.metcouncil.net/factsheets/factsheets.html) • Informational pamphlets on legal issues surrounding rent regulation, plus more general pamphlets for all renters (bedbugs, credit reports, etc.)

20. Print Resources • New York Tenants’ Rights. Hellenborg, Mary Ann. Berkeley, CA: NOLO, 2002. • Plain-English legal info • Available throughout NYPL, BPL and QPL branch libraries • The New York Landlord’s Law Book. Hellenborg, Mary Ann. Berkeley, CA: NOLO, 2003. • Available throughout NYPL, BPL and QPL branch libraries

21. Print Resources, cont. • New York Landlord & Tenant Handbook (Summary Proceedings). Charlottesville, VA: LexisNexis Gould Publications. Annual. • Less accessible legal handbook. Contains copies of important landlord/tenant forms. • Available throughout NYPL and BPL branches, and at QPL Central Library • New York Landlord and Tenant: Rent Control and Rent Stabilization, 2nd ed. Rochester, NY: Lawyers Co-operative Pub. Co., 1987. Supplemented annually. • Contains all statutes and administrative material in one volume, plus supplement. • Available at BPL Business Library

22. Print Resources, cont. • New York Landlord v. Tenant. New York: Vendome Group, LLC. Monthly periodical. • Summaries of notable landlord/tenant disputes. • Good way to keep up on current trends in DHCR and Housing Court, DOB, ECB and HPD proceedings. • Available at SIBL and BPL Business Library

23. Emergency Referrals • City-Wide Task Force on Housing Court • (http://www.cwtfhc.org/index.html) • Telephone Hotline, Information tables at Housing Courts • Legal Aid Society • (http://www.legal-aid.org/en/home.aspx) • Provides legal assistance and representation at no cost • Fights eviction, challenges rent increases and overcharges, helps secure rent subsidies, and helps obtain repairs.

24. Emergency Referrals, cont. • Legal Services for NY • (http://www.lsny.org/) • Represents tenants in nonpayment and eviction cases, helps pursue rent overcharge claims and secure necessary repairs. • MFY Legal Services, Inc. • (http://www.mfy.org/index.html) • Provides free legal advice, counsel and representation to low-income New Yorkers

25. Emergency Referrals, cont. • Urban Justice Center • (http://www.urbanjustice.org/ujc/index.html) • Eviction prevention legal clinics

26. Miscellaneous Links • Who Represents Me? • (http://www.cmap.nypirg.org/netmaps/MyGovernment/NYC/MyGovernmentNYC.asp) • Personal page of Stuart Lawrence, Housing Attorney • (http://homepages.nyu.edu/~swl2/housing.html) • Excellent collection of links relating to NYC housing issues