New York City has added a new regulation to Local Law 11, which mandates exterior building inspections and repairs, according to Ira Meister, president and CEO of Matthew Adam Properties, a leading property management company.
"After several horrific accidents involving people falling off terraces, including the death of a woman on East 57th St. last year, the city has upgraded the requirements for Local Law 11," Meister said. "Now, terraces, walkways, corridors, fire escapes, roofs and setbacks are included."
Local Law 11, passed in 1998, requires covered buildings to periodically inspect their exterior walls and file a report from a qualified inspector noting what repair actions, if any, are required. The law and its predecessor Local Law 10 were passed after several people were killed or injured by pieces falling from facades.
The deadline to file the updated report on balconies is February 1, 2015.
"This is a tight deadline, but the supplementary inspection is an important upgrading of Local Law 11," Meister said.
"While the law requires inspections in the five-year cycle for Local Law 11, we recommend that property managers and superintendents conduct more frequent visual inspections of the balconies," Meister said. "With the severe weather we have been experiencing the potential for damage, especially in aging buildings, is increased. Residents should also be alert to any weakening of the railings and notify the building management."
During the now mandated five-year inspections, which are conducted by a licensed engineer, railings are visually inspected for broken or missing parts, and weakness in the connection to the base or to the exterior of the building. Photos should be taken or illustrations made to illustrate any unsafe of SWARMP (Safe With a Repair and Maintenance Program) issues.
If the condition is found unsafe, the use of the balcony is suspended until repairs are made.
Matthew Adam Properties is a leading Manhattan-based residential management firm that brings a strategic approach to the more than 100 properties it manages in the New York area. The company also manages and serves as a consultant to retail properties nationwide. Tags: