N.Y. City Targets Elevator Slumlords

New York City officials want safer and more reliable elevators – and plan to shame those landlords whose elevators are most in need of repair.

The buildings department plans to publish on its Web site a list of 10 building with the worst elevators in the entire city, home to more than 975,000 buildings.

If shame doesn’t work, the elevator crackdown includes significant daily penalties for violations.

The lack of access to working elevators represents a big safety risk to residents of the buildings.

“We live in a vertical city where residents rely on elevator service to easily enter and exit their homes,” said Buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster.

“The elevator enforcement program is about forcing owners to perform timely elevator maintenance or else face tens of thousands of dollars in penalties for failing to do so. Buildings inspectors will not tolerate building owners who shirk their critical responsibility of maintaining safe and reliable elevator service for tenants.”

Aside from one Manhattan high-rise, the 10 worst buildings are mostly scattered throughout Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx. The tallest, however, is 1 Haven Plaza in Manhattan, owned by Haven Plaza Housing Development Fund Corp.