The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) has joined the New York City Law Department to announce that the City has filed lawsuits against the mortgage holders of five zombie properties—vacant, distressed, one-to-four family homes with delinquent mortgages—throughout Brooklyn.
These cases were filed using data collected by HPD’s Zombie Homes Initiative, which works with the New York City Law Department to hold non-compliant banks and mortgage servicers accountable for failing to maintain vacant properties on the brink of foreclosure.
The City is suing for over $1 million in penalties under the 2016 New York State Zombie Property and Foreclosure Prevention Act and to reimburse the City for emergency repair and maintenance costs incurred since the property was designated as abandoned.
“Zombie homes are blight on our neighborhoods and contribute to the city’s housing shortage. Through HPD’s Zombie Homes Initiative, we are holding mortgage holders accountable and intervening at properties that pose public safety risks, while also conducting extensive outreach to help homeowners who may be on the brink of foreclosure,” said HPD Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer. “I applaud the Law Department for their efforts and thank our partners at LISC and the New York State Attorney General’s Office for their leadership in the fight to address zombie homes and maintain strong and healthy New York City neighborhoods.”
