These 4 Forest Hills Buildings Put Tenants 'At Risk,' City Says

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — Four Forest Hills buildings with dozens of open violations have been barred from getting new work permits under a new city law designed to protect against tenant abuse.

A new map from the city's Department of Buildings shows every building whose permits have been restricted by Local Law 104, which the City Council passed in 2019.

The law was intended to penalize landlords who deliberately allow their buildings to deteriorate in an effort to drive out tenants.

The map, which is updated daily, flags any building with 35 or more dwelling units and two or more violations for every unit, or those with fewer than 35 units and three or more violations for every unit.

There are four buildings in Forest Hills that currently meet those violation standards: 63-35 110th Street, 67-39 Clyde Street, 75-36 113th Place, and 89-21 69th Road, which have 55 hazardous violations combined.

The two-story, four-unit building on 110th street has a total of 18 hazardous violations on file with city agencies, including exterior structural deterioration and a front entrance roof that’s “completely in disrepair condition,” which was first reported in 2011 and still hasn’t been corrected.

The building on Clyde Street, with seven units, has failed to inspect the boiler for safety, which is required annually, numerous years in a row, and consistently hasn’t addressed elevator safety complaints, including one instance issued in 2018 that still hasn’t been resolved. It has a total of 22 hazardous violations on file.

The three-unit building on 113th Place has 11 hazardous violations on file with city agencies, and constructed two parking spaces for the buildings without permits.

The three-unit building on 69th Road has the 22 hazardous violations on file with city agencies — a total of over 7 per unit, which is the most violations per-unit of any of the four buildings in the neighborhood.

While some New York City neighborhoods have dozens of buildings that made the list, there are neighborhoods in Queens with no building violations at all — like Bayside.

In total, there are currently 139 buildings in Queens on the map.

"When bad landlords demonstrate their unwillingness to provide this basic necessity, the city must hold them accountable on every front," City Councilmember Margaret Chin said in a news release.

"Oversight requires transparency, and I am hopeful that this open data gives the public an additional tool when choosing where to rent or in present negotiations with property owners."

Click around the new map from DOB here.