Unfortunately, headline-making tragedies at Bronx apartment buildings have become too common. Last week, a fire in Melrose injured seven people. Earlier this month, a faulty boiler caused a partial building collapse at a NYCHA property. In some cases, these disasters are the result of prolonged neglect by landlords whose tenants endure years of leaky ceilings, vermin, mold and other hazardous conditions — until the day when a disaster occurs.

If you live in an apartment where the landlord is not making repairs, there are resources that can help you. See below for the steps you can take to report unsafe conditions in your apartment.

1. Call HPD

The first thing you should do when you notice unsafe conditions is to file a complaint with New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). You can file a report by calling 311 or going by going online. HPD will send an inspector to your apartment to verify the conditions exist and then will issue a violation requiring the landlord to make repairs or be fined.

You should be as thorough as possible when making a complaint to HPD. Go through every room and note conditions that need repair. Mold, leaks, damaged floors, missing outlets and vermin infestations are some of the most common violations. You should also report conditions in your building’s common areas, like broken door locks, water damage, defective washing machines and doors that do not close by themselves (a serious fire hazard).

You can also reach out separately to the landlord, but reporting condition to HPD will create a much stronger incentive for the landlord to make the repairs. It also creates a record of the conditions that might be useful if you need to bring the landlord to court.

2. Go to Court

Unfortunately, some landlords don’t do the right thing. If your landlord fails to make repairs in the time period specified by the violation, you can sue the landlord in Bronx Housing Court. The court can order the landlord to fix the violations and issue fines against the landlord. You can bring a case against your landlord even if you don’t have a lawyer. Go to the court’s Help Center with documentation of the HPD violations and any other evidence you have against the landlord.

Here is the address for Bronx Housing Court’s Help Center:

Bronx County Housing Court
1118 Grand Concourse, Room 250
Bronx, NY 10456

3. Seek Legal Assistance

You can also request legal assistance from the organizations listed below. Some will provide legal advice while others might be able to provide you with an attorney:

Housing Court Answers: 212-962-4795

Bronx Legal Services: 917-661-4500

The Legal Aid Society: 718-991-4600

New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG): 929-356-9582

BronxWorks: 646-393-4000

Part of the Solution (POTS): 718-220-4892 ext:101

Mobilization for Justice: 212-417-3700

Urban Justice Center – Safety Net Project: 646-602-5600

TakeRoot Justice: 212-810-6744

This article is meant to be a resource for tenants who need to report unsafe conditions in their apartment. It is not legal advice.