Violations & compliance · Leasing & tenant law · 11/11/2026, 9:38 AM
Unresolved NYC Housing Violations Up 4% Year Over Year: Report
A new OpenIgloo report finds the backlog of unresolved tenant complaints in NYC rentals, including pests, heat and hot water, and garbage, grew 3.9% year over year. It links the rise to issues going unfixed and a shortage of city inspectors to confirm repairs. Most violations are in prewar buildings with a high share of rent-stabilized units.
Reported by Commercial ObserverRead the original ↗
What happened
Open, unresolved violations in New York City rental apartments are growing. Commercial Observer reported on 11/11/2026 that the backlog of unresolved tenant complaints rose 3.9 percent year over year in the latest monthly data. The figures come from OpenIgloo, a rental market transparency and apartment-hunting platform. The complaints cover issues such as pests, heat and hot water, and garbage management.
OpenIgloo found that 75.2 percent of open violations across the five boroughs have gone unresolved for more than a year. That share is up 0.6 percentage points from a year earlier. OpenIgloo credited the rise largely to two causes: problems that simply go unfixed, and a shortage of city inspectors who can confirm whether a repair was made.
Open violations per unit rose in four boroughs: 6 percent in Staten Island, 3.5 percent in Brooklyn, 3.4 percent in the Bronx and 0.6 percent in Manhattan. Queens was the only borough with a drop, down 2 percent. Most violations were in prewar buildings and in properties with a high share of rent-stabilized units.
Allia Mohamed, OpenIgloo's CEO and co-founder, told Commercial Observer that heat and hot water complaints rose 40 percent compared with the same month a year earlier. She tied this to aging buildings and said some landlords use quick fixes instead of lasting repairs. She also said structural work is very expensive, especially in prewar buildings.
Key facts
- Source of data
- OpenIgloo, reported by Commercial Observer
- Date reported
- 11/11/2026
- Backlog growth
- Unresolved complaints up 3.9% year over year
- Long-open violations
- 75.2% of open violations unresolved for more than a year, up 0.6 percentage points
- Heat and hot water
- Complaints up 40% year over year, per OpenIgloo's CEO
- Borough changes (open violations per uni
- Staten Island +6%, Brooklyn +3.5%, Bronx +3.4%, Manhattan +0.6%, Queens -2%
- Where violations cluster
- Prewar buildings and buildings with a high share of rent-stabilized units
- Causes cited
- Repairs not made and a shortage of city inspectors to verify repairs
What it means
Landlords
Violations can stay open on a building's record even after work is done if the repair is not verified. Owners of prewar and rent-stabilized buildings should track their open violations and keep proof of completed repairs.
Tenants and voucher holders
Heat and hot water complaints rose sharply, and many violations stay open for over a year. When looking at apartments, it helps to check a building's open violation history, especially in older buildings.
Caseworkers
Clients placed in prewar or heavily rent-stabilized buildings may face more unresolved conditions. Reviewing a building's violation record before placement can flag repeat problems.
The highlights
- 75.2% of open violations have gone unresolved for more than a year.
- Heat and hot water complaints rose 40% year over year, per OpenIgloo.
- Open violations per unit rose 6% on Staten Island, while Queens fell 2%.
Why it matters Landlords
Repeat complaints in prewar, rent-stabilized buildings are rising, and many open violations stay unresolved for more than a year.
What to do: Check your buildings for open violations and fix recurring heat and hot water problems.
Not known yet
- Which city agency's violation data OpenIgloo used
- How many open violations exist in total, in numbers rather than percentages
- How large the city inspector shortage is
- Whether the city has responded to the report or plans to add inspectors
Background
In New York City, tenants generally report housing problems such as lack of heat, pests or leaks through 311. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) enforces the Housing Maintenance Code. Its inspectors can issue violations that are ranked by seriousness. A violation usually stays open on the city's records until the owner corrects the condition and the correction is certified or confirmed. That is why a building can show open violations even after some repairs are made. Owners must provide heat and hot water, with heat required during the city's heat season.
Summary written by Bulwark from Commercial Observer’s reporting. The original story is at commercialobserver.com. This is general information, not legal advice.
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Photo: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0