Answering a mold violation on a Mott Haven building
When HPD cites mold in a Mott Haven apartment, the owner or manager is working against a class-based deadline. We connect you with the firms that can do the correction properly.
Signs this job fits a building in Mott Haven
A tenant complaint that was never resolved
Tenants go to the landlord first; if the repair is not made or the work is unsafe, they can bring the city in.
Mold or a leak in a three-plus unit building
Local Law 55 makes the owner respond and requires annual checks for allergen hazards including mold.
A class B or C notice on the desk
Hazardous and immediately hazardous classes carry the shorter clocks.
A violation the repair did not remove
A violation that is not corrected, or is wrongly reported as corrected, can be upgraded.
Common questions
Which Mott Haven violations get the shortest clock?
Class C, which HPD describes as immediately hazardous, gives 21 days. Class B, hazardous, gives 30, and non-hazardous class A gives 90.
What penalties apply if the licensed work is skipped?
The city's environmental protection department lists $800 to $10,000 where an owner skips the required licensed assessors and remediators.
Does a vacant Mott Haven apartment need anything before it is re-let?
In a building of three or more units, the owner has to make sure a vacant apartment is thoroughly cleaned and free of mold before a new tenant moves in.
Violation Help in Mott Haven
A Mott Haven manager reading a mold violation should start with the class. Class A covers under 10 square feet in a room and gives 90 days to correct; class B, 10 to 29 square feet, gives 30; class C, 30 square feet or more, gives 21. HPD describes class A as non-hazardous, B as hazardous and C as immediately hazardous.
In 10454 and 10455, 74.5 and 76.1 percent of units are in buildings over the ten-unit line, which changes who may do the correction. On mold over ten square feet the owner's own employees cannot assess or remediate there, so a violation on such a building leads to two separate licensed firms, the assessor and the remediator. The city then expects the owner's paperwork to include an affidavit from each and proof that the plan and final report were filed.
The cost of doing it wrong is concrete. The city's environmental protection department lists penalties between $800 and $10,000 for owners who skip the required licensed assessors and remediators, or whose assessor leaves the post-work form unfiled. Correcting properly the first time is cheaper than correcting twice.
HPD enforces mold violations in Mott Haven on a 21, 30 or 90 day clock by class, and ten-unit buildings must use licensed firms. Source: New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, FY25 Indoor Allergen Hazard Report, New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, Local Law 61 of 2018, The City of New York, Rules of the City of New York title 28 chapter 54, New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, New York City Department of Environmental Protection, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 5-year estimates, US Census Bureau