We have heard for years about the dangers posed by illegally converted apartments. We have seen countless examples of lives lost when fire breaks out in the basement of a single-family house filled with mattresses separated by sheets. We’ve watched tragedy strike many times, including the 2009 fire in Woodside that claimed three lives in an illegal home that was the subject of two prior complaints.
Residents have long complained that the quality of life on a block is destroyed when illegally divided homes tax the city’s municipal services. And we have watched as politicians, spurred by the latest tragedy, hold press conferences vowing the city will do better to investigate complaints of these deathtraps.
And still, the city gets about 20,000 com- plaints a year about illegally subdivided homes, and we find ourselves reporting this week on another incident where overcrowding may have played a role. The Richmond Hill home where a fire broke out on Tuesday — leading to injuries to six residents and five firefights — had been reported to the city last year for possibly having been illegally converted.
As is the departmental policy, a city inspector tried twice to gain access to the home. The first time, according to city re- cords, nobody was home. The second time, the resident who answered refused to allow him inside, as is their constitutional right.
We understand the importance of property rights and agree safeguards are needed to ensure the government doesn’t overstep its bounds and invade our privacy. However, this is a matter of public safety. The tenants, who place themselves in that situation, often out of desperation or unknowingly, place the lives of every firefighter who responds, their neighbors and themselves in jeopardy in favor of cheap rent.
There are ways to remedy this without stomping on property rights. Last year, the city sent inspectors undercover to visit 62 properties they found on Craigslist that sounded like illegal subdivisions. Out of those 62, they cited 54 owners.
New York City faces a major challenge in providing enough affordable housing. Still, no resident should have to choose between being able to pay rent and being safe. It’s past time for the city to create a way to prevent and respond to illegally converted homes while still respecting our rights.
