On Monday, the State Senate passed legislation sponsored by Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D-Central Brooklyn) requiring banks or other lienholders of an abandoned home to correct dangerous conditions that threaten local health and safety.
If the conditions are not repaired within a set timeframe, the bill authorizes Housing Preservation Development (HPD) or other housing departments to seize the property.
“New York City faces a housing crisis, and we need to ensure that neglected, abandoned properties are repaired and ultimately come back on line in a timely and safe manner,” said Myrie, who represents the 20th Senate District in Brooklyn. “This bill would strengthen our existing tools for correcting dangerous conditions at abandoned, vacant homes and require lienholders to actually make needed repairs, or risk having the property seized by HPD.
“I’m grateful to my Senate colleagues for passing this bill to preserve housing stock across New York,” added Myrie, a candidate for Mayor of the City of New York, whose grandmother hailed from Jamaica.
He said current law allows local authorities to seize abandoned, vacant dwellings whose conditions pose a health and safety risk.
However, Myrie said banks and lienholders may prevent the seizure by entering into an agreement with the government to make the repairs, even though honoring this agreement is not required.
Myrie said his measure would authorize suits to obtain the property title if the conditions are not corrected within ninety days.
As of 2022, it was estimated there were as many as 2,000 such “zombie properties” in New York City, with Brooklyn accounting for 40 % of this total, Myrie said.
