Exposed Electrical Wiring Was Unsafe Condition

DOB issued a violation notice to landlord for failing to maintain its building in a safe condition. DOB's inspector found open walls with exposed beams on the first, second, and third floors, along with exposed electrical wiring throughout the building. DOB also found that work was done without a permit, including installation of new floor joists. Landlord claimed that the building had been gutted before he bought it in 1986. Landlord had rented the building to a movie production company that exposed the wiring. The ALJ ruled against landlord and fined him $2,600, finding insufficient proof of a preexisting condition. Landlord appealed and won, in part. Landlord submitted sworn statements from the building's handyman and an electrician who recalled specific details about the building before 1986 and who confirmed that it had been gutted before that time. So landlord wasn't responsible for that preexisting condition. But landlord was responsible for the unsafe wiring. The fine was reduced to $1,000.

82 DeGraw Street Associates, Inc.: ECB App. No. 1000675 (11/18/10) [3-pg. doc.]