JOHN FARR Plumbing & Heating | Licensed Plumber |

Did you know that New York City can fine landlords up to $25,000 and force the immediate vacate of an illegal apartment? The good news is that the vacate order can be rescinded if the landlord shows that the violation was corrected.

Understanding What Causes an Illegal Apartment Violation

Illegal basement and cellar conversions are considered hazardous by New York City because they can contain carbon monoxide, a severe lack of ventilation, lack of heating and cooling and inadequate light. They may also not contain enough exits to the outside in the event of a fire. Additional reasons that a basement or cellar apartment are deemed illegal include:

  • The apartment conversion is in a cellar, which has more than 50 percent of its exterior walls underground.
  • The ceilings are less than seven feet high.
  • Each room does not have a window.
  • There are fixtures in odd locations, like a toilet in a utility room.
  • Permits were not pulled prior to plumbing work and bathroom installations.

Understanding How a Building Gets a DOB/OATH/ECB Illegal Apartment Violation

In order to get an illegal apartment violation, an inspector must visit the property, find the violation and write a notice, which is typically done on-site and handed to the landlord or mailed immediately. However, these inspectors don’t typically show up randomly. Instead, a resident in the neighborhood, another occupant in the building or the tenant can notify the NYC Department of Buildings to report a hazardous situation, like an illegal basement or cellar apartment or a known dangerous situation, like leaking gas or water pipes.

What to Do After Receiving a Violation

When you receive your violation, read the date that it was issued, the date by which the violation(s) must be corrected and the types of violations as well as any additional notes left by the inspector. This information will tell you how to proceed. For example, if the violation is an illegal plumbing fixture or a gas leak or problem with gas piping, you’ll need to contact a licensed master plumber, like John Farr, in order to get the violations corrected. If you also received a vacate notice along with the violation, correcting the issues can restore your building’s occupancy certificate and have the vacate order rescinded.

Getting Illegal Apartment Violations Corrected with John Farr

If you have a DOB, OATH or ECB illegal apartment violation in regards to illegal plumbing fixtures, dangerous piping or unpermitted plumbing work. John Farr can help you. He is a licensed master plumber located in New York City, and he serves all five boroughs so that you can have your violations corrected in a timely manner.

To get your HPD, ECB/OATH violations corrected, illegal basement violation, gas company violation, gas boiler violation or any Plumbing building violations in NYC removed, call John Farr at 917-324-2535.