The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the New York City Law Department announced a milestone $1 million in penalties against property owners who failed to comply with New York State’s Zombie Property and Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2016.
Zombie homes are vacant, abandoned or distressed homes whose owners are behind on mortgage payments. The state’s zombie laws discourage the threat these homes pose by requiring mortgage holders to inspect, manage and report vacant and abandoned homes or face penalties of up to $500 per day.
“Our administration is sending a clear message that blight is not welcome in New York City,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams in a statement Sept 20. “No New Yorker wants to live next to an abandoned vacant lot, and we are holding absentee property owners accountable to ensure that we can expand this from a pilot into a permanent program that will continue to serve New Yorkers well into the future.”
HPD’s Zombie Homes Initiative partners with the NYC Law Department as well as other city and state agencies to discourage and take actions against zombie properties which threaten neighborhoods with blight, and will turn these homes into liveable and affordable dwellings for low-income individuals and their families.
Additionally, the NYC Department of Sanitation, Buildings and Law have intervened and cleaned up, inspected dangerous buildings and brought legal action against nearly 1,300 property owners, securing over $1 million in penalties.
“Vacant and abandoned homes should not exist in a city experiencing a housing affordability crisis – it makes no sense,” said HPD Commissioner Adolfo Carrión Jr. “HPD’s Zombie Homes Initiative has proven to be a powerful tool for cleaning up blight and protecting the health and vitality of neighborhoods. We have taken action against hundreds of mortgage holders who have failed to maintain their properties and our next step is to continue to find more ways to turn them into affordable homeownership opportunities for New Yorkers.”
Under the Adams administration, the Zombie House Initiative will become a permanent city government fixture.
Several groups applauded the Initiative and Mayor Adams for working to ensure housing for more low-income New Yorkers.
“The Zombie Homes Initiative is a critical program to identify vacant and abandoned homes, hold servicers and banks accountable for their maintenance, and stabilize neighborhoods by turning these derelict properties into safe, affordable homeownership opportunities,” said Christie Peale, CEO and executive director of Center for NYC Neighborhoods. “Exacerbated by the 2008 foreclosure crisis, zombie properties have had a tremendously destructive impact on various communities across New York City. We commend Mayor Adams and HPD for continuing to advocate for solutions that combat the rise of zombie properties and in paving the way for more home ownership opportunities across the city.”
