Saturday, October 9, 2010
False 311 complaints rampant in Flushing
From the Queens Chronicle:
Flushing has been flooded by more than rain recently. It’s been awash with anonymous 311 complaints against homeowners leading tempers to nearly boil over at a meeting Thursday of the Kissena Park Civic Association.
The Department of Buildings has been inundated with thousands of accusations that one-family homes in the area have been illegally converted into apartments, often called in by persons who don’t give their names.
What is curious about the upsurge is that the complaints were made one after another, address by address, block by block, triggering repeated visits by building inspectors.
Dozens of homeowners braved gale- force wind gusts to attend the meeting at St. Mary’s Nativity Church. They faced a panel including Community Board 7 District Manager Marilyn Bitterman and Chairman Eugene Kelty, elected officials and DOB spokesperson Anthony Illiano, demanding answers.
KCPA Zoning Chairman Joe Amoroso outlined the wellspring of their outrage. “Block after block, lots one through eight had complaints filed within two or three minutes,” Amoroso said.
32 comments:
SEEMS MANY KCPA MEMBERS ARE AFRAID TO LET THEM INSPECT?
What wrong with the reporting? If there are so many illegally converted dwellings and they are practically every house in a district, then so be it. The city has blinders on and has reaped and sowed this upon themselves. If enforcement originally had occurred when complaints were first lodged years ago, they would have been prime examples to new comers as to what not to expect and do, convert homes into multi-dwellings that are clearly illegal.
I agree. What is the problem here?
The fact that everyone breaks the law, and now are called to the carpet?
Or is it, like shouting a gay slur is an issue for the news, and putting up a 5 story building 3 inches from your window is not on the radar, that it impacts the tweeding of Queens?
From the article:
He pointed out that if inspectors can’t get access, they leave a notice and will revisit a house one more time, before the complaint is closed. However, the record of complaints and visits is permanent.
So if I illegally convert my 1200s/f single family into an illegal 3 and never open the door to inspectors if someone complains, the violation goes unchecked? Who cares if the complaints and visits remain permanent when nothing is done about the problem at hand. Why would anyone doing something illegal ever open the door if this is the case?
The city should stop worrying about who made these calls and start worrying about why they were made.
"What is curious about the upsurge is that the complaints were made one after another, address by address, block by block, triggering repeated visits by building inspectors."
You don't find it disturbing that someone is calling in serial complaints and is likely a violations removal company looking to make money or someone looking to blockbust the area?
You folks are starting to scare me.
Um......so? You mean Buildings is really answering these calls? Miracle of miracles!
If the C of O's (certificate of occupancy) are defective it means the property owner is paying that much less taxes, the wrong amount to the City, State and Federal government. At a time when the City is claiming there is no money (except for the likes of Bloomberg) why not do this in every single boro? Inspections How about a decree that every NYC dwelling must be inspected to insure the C of O's are filed properly?
Let the Fed's come in and deal with it. It's an epidemic.
Yes we see on the news the houses that go up in flames, a baby dies, an old lady dies. Is the property owner who created those conditions ever held accountable? what we don't see are the lousy substandard day to day conditions and medical problems that people get from living in these converted dwellings.
And why not? because of crap like this! let the inspectors in. If you have nothing to hide, you will be happy to have your C of O validated.
Crappy, you're never too old to learn.
Not true. If they want to find something, they will. Quotas apply to DOB as well.
Crappy - I agree with you.
There was a problem like this not too long ago in Flushing - but closer to Whitestone. Crappy covered it.
NO ONE in that area rents their basements - they DO have their children hanging out there OR they have a sewing room, gaming room, TV room, etc. Many of the houses DO have kitchens as the majority of them were built in the 1940s or 1950s i.e. before air conditioning - and people cooked and ate and entertained in their basements regularly.
Perhaps this is a disgrunted / weirdo neighbor - I dunno - but, I sincerely doubt it's legit.
My guess is its a department of sanitation worker or two whose garbage route includes these homes.
They are sick and tired of the excess refuse they feel has overburdened them because of the alleged illegal units permeated through the neighborhood.
"Not true. If they want to find something, they will. Quotas apply to DOB as well."
THIS is exactly why people are fearful of them and why they are not let in - and by people who have nothing to hide.
babs must be stuck on stupid.Its the dep. of sanitation that is behind this.
What do you have to hide "Blabs" a lack of gray matter between your ears?
IT'S ALL ABOUT ME! HOORAY!
"Its the dep. of sanitation that is behind this."
why lookie here - the Queens crap village idiot wants so badly to be taken seriously YET never says anything worth discussing.
id - why would the Sanit workers risk their great pensions over THIS? AND they pick up garbage in the projects - they pick up garbage in the worst neighborhoods in New York - yet YOU believe they are annoyed by comparatively small illegal basement conversions in one of our BETTER neighorhoods - BWAHAHAHHEEEEEHAAAAHAHAHAHA!!!
Tks for the laugh id!
YOU probably phoned them all in - simply because besides posting stupid things in here - YOU have absolutely NOTHING else to do AND you are a hateful little twerp who is mental.
WHY do you want me to do this to you all the time though? You must enjoy being humiliated. I should start charging you id.
why lookie here - the Queens crap village idiot wants so badly to be taken seriously YET never says anything worth discussing.
YOU probably phoned them all in - simply because besides posting stupid things in here - YOU have absolutely NOTHING else to do AND you are a hateful little twerp who is mental.
..................................................
Is it me or is the pot calling the kettle black? Babs---you ignorant slut!
You're lucky Babs contributes to this blog - she is the only one left now who says anything intelligent.
Switch to decaf, Babs. Caffeine is starting to affect your meds again.
Stopping caffeine won't help "Blabs" very much.
She needs to renew her Lithium RX.
Her sporadic "brain farts" are an indication of her mental confusion.
I still think "Babs" is really Linda M. of "Vista Towers".
Here's an idea...was this all phoned in by actual landlords in say, Richmond Hill or Jamaica to throw off the DOB? That way the inspectors would be all tied up in Flushing instead of the neighborhood with the highest concentration of illegal apartments.
or could it be that it's a DOB inspector who needs and intends to have more contact with a complaint and willing landlady?
You're lucky Babs contributes to this blog - she is the only one left now who says anything intelligent.
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
presently a community civic group nominated a former civic president for a honor by naming a street corner for him. he was a very effective public servant (unsalaried),and had no love for illegal developers or homeowners illegally converting their houses.
a homeowner ,who had crossed paths with this civic leader, petitioned his neighbors to oppose the honor.
a research of the D.O.B. (browse the block) link,showed that a majority of the neighborhood had violations or refused to allow the inspectors in their house.
should the civic association request be executed or should the violators succeed in dishonoring this community leader?
and who is this civic leader in question?
i wonder if we should list the names and addresses of the many d.o.b.violators and property owners who denied entrance to their property, allegedly in violation ?
You're lucky Babs contributes to this blog - she is the only one left now who says anything intelligent.
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO
Phew! I needed that. Thanks to Babs for being a blithering idiot.
Go ahead Ring My Bell ;~) My home is exactly what it was Intended to be:) I have Nothing to Hide ;~) Can't say the same for my NEIGHBORS!!!!!
I work at 311 and we get this guy who calls in 50+ complaints about conversions in Queens at least once a week. He will go down the entire block, every single address.
Not to worry. Helen Marshall, the illustrious well-photographed, Queens Borough President, is on the case right now. It will shortly be resolved.
I got a complaint against my legal 2 family (the C of O is on file with the the DOB)home. I do not and have never rented my LEGAL basement family dwelling. As is my Constitutional right, I will not allow DOB inspectors into my home without a warrant. If you have a problem with this, leave your address in response. I will gladly call and anonymously report you to the DOB (or NYPD or FBI or CPS). Then I'll sit back and wonder why you are bellyaching about that injustice.
For the record, my entire block was saturated with these ficticious complaints. Each complaint was one minute apart. Suspicious? In the following weeks we all recieved letters from a local contractor offering their services in "violation removals". How coincidental!
This fake calls to 311 is happening in Astoria and LIC and there is a suspected handyman posing as an Improvement Contractor of sorts who lives in a NYCHA building claiming to be incorporated. He wants work from homeowners and when he can't get work, he calls 311 and makes reports about illegally converted basement apartments in order to harass the homeowners. The anonymous callers must be stopped by 311, they must be recorded, ask their name and address and call them back to verify their complaint or have them mail it in with all of their I.D. many homes occupied by seniors and women are fearful of letting in any man who sports a badge and a clipboard, there are rapes, push in home invasions and all kinds of things. Even if your home is legitamate with no one living in any cellar, you should not have to let in any stranger to snoop around and create his quota needed violation for something small, the NYCHA based in the Ravenswood projects bogus contractor, everyone knows him along 36th Avenue across from the projects from his prolific southern accent, needs to stop making these calls, he wants cash work, he can't get it but he calls 311 in order to terrorize and to frighten and lower the quality of life. It is very horrifying to see a dept of bldgs car show up with several men at your house who constantly ring your bell, you would be crazy to let them in, they sell badges and uniforms on the web, they could be theives but the real problem is that NYCHA is for low income and sickly folks, not for an incorporated person who claims to be a contractor and preys on the poor
Thank you (above) for suggesting a reason why my neighbors and I are being harassed by bogus complaints phoned in to 311. We live on a peaceful block in Adtoria where all neighbors get along. One of the complaints turned into a violation that I never received but DOB denied me another hearing stating that it was legally served (? To whom?) Now I cannot present my C of O and blueprints to prove them wrong. Does it make any sense that my whole block got gas hooked up illegally? The other complaint is that we have illegal apts. Also false and information was gotten from DOB record room. Why don't they check their own records before bothering me? DOB is trying to get money out of me for a violation stemming from a fraudulent complaint. I am fed up with the 311 system ( they should have a system to track and filter fraudulent complaints) and the DOB for sending me in circles trying to resolve this issue. Every three months a new complaint is entertained by 311 and DOB. My neighbors and I have had it!
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