Bushwick Tenants Most Likely To Face Freezing Homes, Study Finds

BUSHWICK, BROOKLYN -- Bushwick tenants were more likely to be found shivering in their homes during the Polar Vortex than residents of any other New York City neighborhood, real estate analysts found.

Bushwick tops a list 10 neighborhoods where landlords have racked up heat violations at the highest rate over a four-year period, according to researchers from New York-based real estate data site Localize.city.

The city doles out these violations during heat season — Oct. 1 through May 31 — when landlord are required to keep apartments at 68 degrees during the day when the temperature falls below 55 degrees and at 62 degrees at night.

Bushwick came in first for high rates of heat violations, with 8.3 per 1000 units, with Van Nest in The Bronx running second and Crown Heights third, researchers found. All of the top ten neighborhoods were either in Brooklyn or the The Bronx.

But a 19-apartment building at 509 West 134th St. in West Harlem bucked the trend and earned 20 heating violations in four years, the most heating violations of any city apartment building. A three-unit Bed-Stuy building at 381 Vernon Ave. and a Mott Haven building at 506 Brook Ave. tied for second with 18 violations.

Localize.city analysts found that apartment buildings with less units were more likely to have hazardous heating violations. Nearly half of 150 buildings with the highest heat violations rates had only three units and more than a quarter had four units.

"Seeing the widespread heat problems in buildings with only three or four units raises questions about how to hold landlords of these smaller buildings accountable," researchers wrote.

"Does HPD prioritize these buildings less in terms of inspections or are there challenges that are particularly difficult to address in this type of housing stock?"

Analysts encouraged New Yorkers dealing with heat problems, as well as those looking for new apartments, to research buildings violation history before reporting problems to 311 or moving in.

“Knowing about chronic heat and hot water problems can empower you if you’re trying to hold your landlord accountable," said Localize.city President Steve Kalifowitz.

"Or can help you avoid moving to a frigid building in the first place.”

Photo by Kathleen Culliton