Development & Property Management Offices Services Update

March 20, 2020April 2, 2020 LaToya COVID-19, NYCHA Developments, NYCHA Property Management, NYCHA residents

Dear Residents, 

NYCHA’s Property Management Offices are open, but to further implement social distancing best practices, we have reduced the number of staff in every office and we have suspended direct-contact meetings between staff and residents.  

Management Office staff will continue to assist residents via telephone, email, and through scheduled appointments to speak to staff from behind the reception desk. 

Property Management Offices will accept documentation in the office or via email; they will be available to discuss confidential information via phone or in the office; they will accept notices of intent to vacate and return keys, and requests for cylinder/mailbox changes or copies of keys; and they will accept responses to the Annual Window Guard Notice and Child Under 6 Survey. 

There will be no in-person rent collection. Rent should be paid via mail, phone, the MyNYCHA app, and online through authorized banks. If you are concerned about paying your rent or you are experiencing financial hardship, please get details here  for more information about programs you may qualify for.

NYCHA Development Services Update

While all planned heat, hot water, and water outages are suspended until further notice, special heating and elevator crews, and other emergency teams, continue to provide 24/7 coverage and repairs.

NYCHA staff will continue to perform EMERGENCY maintenance and repairs in apartments. 

We will be responding to EMERGENCY work orders, which include no heat and hot water conditions, water leaks, gas leaks, flooding conditions, stoppages, electrical issues, and hazardous conditions.
 
We will respond to work orders to correct the following specific conditions: No power in the entire apartment; partial power impacting kitchens or bathrooms; no electrical power to life-sustaining equipment; cabinets falling off walls; pest infestations; stove or refrigerators not working; smoke/carbon monoxide detectors not working; window guard missing/loose; apartment door not working.
 
We will conduct lead remediation, and will collect dust wipe samples, only in units in the 92 developments where we presume there is lead-based paint and a child under 6 resides or visits and/or there is a positive XRF test result regardless of whether a child under 6 resides or visits.

We will perform critical work orders generated as a result of a court order, a commissioner order to abate or other violation, or through our own compliance process.

Residents can call the Customer Contact Center (CCC) at 718-707-7771 to report emergencies.

NYCHA staff visiting residents’ apartments to perform the above-mentioned services and repairs will take precautionary measures before entering apartments, including asking about residents’ health and maintaining social distance. 

Staff may also wear masks or gloves while working in residents’ apartments, and may ask to open windows to increase ventilation during the repair. If safe health conditions are not possible, or if residents refuse entry, NYCHA may need to reschedule the appointment. 

In some emergencies, NYCHA staff may need to enter anyway, with the assistance of the local Police Service Area (PSA) or other first responders, if a resident is in danger or immediate action is required because of a safety concern such as shutting down a gas line. We hope you understand that we must put the safety of residents first, and these actions would be necessary to protect you and your neighbors.

Please note, these services may be amended in the days ahead as we receive further guidance from New York State and local officials regarding additional precautions we must take to stop the spread of COVID-19.

We continue to make COVID-19 information available through direct outreach to residents, including robocalls, emails, multilingual posters, the MyNYCHA app, daily social media posts, and posts on our resident, employee, and public websites (such as www.nyc.gov/nycha).
 
Please call the CCC at 718-707-7771 if you need to request an emergency repair. Trained representatives are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

We thank you for your continued cooperation, support, and valuable feedback. Together we can keep our NYCHA community safe and healthy.

Greg Russ
Chair & Chief Executive Officer

Vito Mustaciuolo
General Manager