City Officials Found in Violation of Housing Laws

A potentially groundbreaking ruling has revealed that city officials responsible for upholding housing laws in New York City have dramatically failed to do so.

The Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) reportedly “ignored” four court orders aimed at addressing necessary repairs in a Brooklyn apartment complex rented by a single father for over a year, according to a court decision.

Judge Enedina Pilar Sanchez from Brooklyn Housing Court deemed the agency in contempt. In her emphatic ruling, she noted that the HPD’s apartments were without electricity and stable floors, featured broken windows, and had bathrooms that were not just unusable but also “dangerous.”

“Leasing substandard apartments to communities that have historically faced such issues perpetuates a harmful cycle that must be disrupted by the very agencies tasked with enforcing housing regulations,” she stated harshly.

Julian Butler, a 43-year-old tenant at the rundown Bushwick Apartments, lost his home to a fire in late 2024 and hoped to move into a new place with his then-6-year-old son.

“I never thought the city would act like this,” he shared. “You’d expect that kind of behavior from a private landlord, not the city.”

One attorney with extensive housing court experience commented that private landlords would face “thousands of dollars in fines” under similar circumstances and noted he had never seen HPD held in contempt for such violations before.

“This is a significant ruling,” attorney David Schwartz remarked. “It’s a wake-up call that the government needs.”

“They’re supposed to enforce the law but are, in fact, breaking it. It’s quite frustrating,” Schwartz added.

While HPD’s main purpose is to enforce the city’s housing code via violations and fines, the agency also manages a portfolio of roughly 170 buildings, most of which were acquired when the city took over numerous abandoned properties back in the 1980s.

After a fire destroyed a separate HPD-owned building, Butler thought he would finally get a break when he was informed that a unit at 143 Knoll St. would be available. However, he said he was pressured to sign a lease without even viewing the apartment first or risk losing his opportunity to get $700-a-month housing with city subsidies.

Ultimately, the apartment was in a terrible state—no electricity, no bathroom sink, a broken window, and insufficient kitchen cabinets, among other issues—leaving Butler feeling it was utterly unacceptable.

He and his son began renting a place on Long Island in January 2025, all while waiting for the city to meet its own housing codes. Butler used his savings to cover rent, enduring more than a two-hour daily commute to work and to his son’s school.

Despite his efforts, nothing improved.

So, on his own initiative, the single father and construction worker took legal action against the housing agency.

“I got pretty fed up with their inaction,” Butler expressed.

In court filings, after HPD attempted to label him a squatter, the judge pointed out that another apartment in Canarsie was also “not currently suitable for human habitation.”

Even with four court orders issued, Sanchez highlighted ongoing issues, such as a complete loss of electricity.

During a February hearing, she found HPD in contempt and mandated that the agency complete repairs by April 17, providing Butler with retroactive rent credits going back to January 2025. The order also specified that he should not pay rent until all repairs were finalized.

An HPD spokesperson informed the Post that they had installed new flooring and renovated the bathroom and other areas before Butler’s move, insisting that electrical issues were beyond their purview and should be handled directly by the utility company.

HPD spokeswoman Kim Moscaritolo emphasized that the department “will continue to collaborate with Mr. Butler to ensure he receives the safe housing he deserves.”

The continued ordeal took such a toll on Butler that he went bankrupt, depleting his savings to maintain stable housing for himself and his son.

“I’m at my wits’ end,” he candidly admitted. “It’s really exhausting me.”