When landlords do not keep their properties in good repair, it leads to issues for renters. In some cases, the law does not cover such repairs, so it is up to the landlord to fix them or not. In other cases, the law says a landlord must make repairs. The trouble comes when the building is under government control as there is little regulation.
According to The New York Times, disrepair is exactly the current state of housing projects in New York, which fall under the care of the New York City Housing Authority. While the agency has undergone review recently and findings show it is not doing its job, repairs are still slow in coming.
Repairs and maintenance
Tenants in these housing projects often deal with long-term leaks, which lead to water damage, mold and other issues. They also see crumbling walls, rodent infestations and peeling paint as an accepted part of living here.
Even the basic systems in buildings are in poor shape and have not seen repairs or updating recently. This leads to pipe issues that compound into other problems. Flooding from leaking pipes is a regular occurrence.
Backlogs and expenses
The housing authority claims it cannot fix basic systems because they cost too much. It also says it has a backlog for repairs. Residents may wait months for a service call, and even when maintenance shows up, they may only do half the job and never return to finish.
The housing authority says that one of the biggest issues is that many of the problems require skilled trade workers, and it does not employ enough but cannot hire more due to the expense.
So, issues continue and grow. While these housing structures look good on the outside, they are falling apart inside, and tenants can do little except continue to submit maintenance requests that will likely go unanswered for months.