(AP) — New York City’s public housing authority has a repair backlog so large that it would dwarf the city’s worst private landlords if it were ranked alongside them, the city’s public advocate said in a report released Wednesday.
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said the New York City Housing Authority has hundreds of thousands of open repair requests, far exceeding the unresolved violations attributed to any individual private landlord in the city.
Williams released the findings as part of his annual “Worst Landlord Watchlist,” which highlights private property owners with the most persistent housing code violations. He said NYCHA was excluded from the rankings because it is a public agency, but argued that its scale of unaddressed maintenance issues places it in a category of its own.
According to the report, NYCHA developments continue to struggle with problems including broken elevators, mold, pest infestations and heating issues. Williams said the volume of outstanding work orders reflects years of underinvestment and slow repairs that directly affect residents’ quality of life.
The public advocate said the list is intended to pressure landlords — and city agencies — to improve conditions and to give tenants information to demand action. He called for stronger oversight and faster repairs at NYCHA properties, saying public housing residents deserve the same basic standards as tenants in privately owned buildings.
NYCHA has said it faces aging infrastructure and funding constraints but has pledged to reduce its repair backlog.
