Recall the proclamation made by 2009's most charismatic N.Y.C. mayoral candidate, Jimmy McMillan. "The rent is too damn high," he declared.
He was right, considering the average New Yorker spends $4,109 monthly for a Manhattan rental, according to a recent report from Douglas Elliman Real Estate.
What those fancy brokerage firms don't tell you is just how bad some of the buildings are — and where.
Consider the ingenuity of JustFix.nyc. The local startup devised a map of the buildings with the most outstanding HPD (Department of Housing Preservation and Development) violations.
The non-profit organization helps renters take advantage of the housing codes of New York City and allows its users to take photos of whatever problem they come across in the building and lodge complaints.
Whether it's rats, mold or cockroaches, JustFix.nyc has it reported. The app, funded by the Robin Hood Foundation and the Fast Forward Accelerator (an accelerator for tech nonprofits), is essentially a way to pool together evidence of just how shoddy your living situation is.
It also allows users the opportunity to communicate with landlords directly via texts, emails, and letters of complaint. The reports and case histories are also automatically logged and sent to city and state agencies. That way, in case the problems ever amount to a court case, the lawyer or advocate can pull documents from the app's system.
The app first became available to all New York City residents last November with a network of over a dozen community partners and organizers. For a ranked data set of the buildings and their violations, see the chart below.
For the full list, click here.
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