Rockland County Reports Progress Taking on Slumlords

County officials have received more complaints from tenants, made more inspections, issued more violations, and fined landlords far more for dangerous conditions in the past year since the Rockland Codes Initiative began.

The Rockland Codes Initiative was started a year ago as a way to do something about slumlords, and about the conditions in which some of the county's residents had been found living -- particularly by first responders going into dangerous situations in emergencies.

They offered a status report Monday.

“We are getting compliance,” said Rockland County Executive Ed Day. “The landlords know we are not kidding. We are coming after them. And when they realize that, they make the repairs they need to make.”

The initiative allows residents to report unsafe housing conditions through a confidential web-based system. The involves the efforts of the Rockland Department of Health, which coordinates with other county agencies.

The goal is to force landlords to make repairs.

Day joined Rockland Commissioner of Health Dr. Patricia Schnabel Rupert and Catherine Johnson Southren outside a house at 11 South Street in Haverstraw. The home has two apartments, both of which they allege had numerous dangerous conditions, including broken windows, lack of a second exit, missing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, inoperable plumbing, leaking ceilings, mice and roaches.

The landlord was brought to formal hearings before the Board of Health twice. However, it wasn’t until the landlord was fined more than $41,000 that the violations were corrected.

The tenants now have a safe place to live, Day said.

Officials offered this summary:

In the first year of the Rockland Codes Initiative: (May 1, 2015-April 29, 2016):

• 1,238 complaints were received, compared to 836 the year before. (416 complaints received through new, confidential web-based reporting system)
• 5,802 inspections were conducted, compared to 3,191 the year before.
• A total of 7,812 violations were issued through the program in its first year. And 2,272 of them were critical, life-threatening violations.
• $453,166.25 in fines were assessed, compared to $53,637 the year before.

No one has been put out on the street as a result of these inspections, officials said. RCI staff works with numerous agencies, including DSS, Adult Protective Services, Sheriff's Department, the Office of Fire and Emergency Services and others.

Day said the RCI is still working on the Rental Registry, which will require landlords with three or more units to register with the county.

“Because of the Rockland Codes Initiative, everyone in Rockland is safer,” Day said.