DOB Fines Kushner Cos. for Falsifying Permits
The Department of Buildings tells Globest.com that the $210,000 in fines were for false filings on construction permit applications. In total the DOB found 42 such violations at 17 Kushner buildings.
NEW YORK CITY—The New York City Department of Buildings levied a total of $210,000 in fines against the Kushner Companies earlier this week in connection with allegations the firm falsified more than 40 permit applications at some of its properties in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The Kushner Companies blamed the violations on possible errors by a third-party consultant, according to a report in the Real Deal.
The Department of Buildings tells Globest.com that the $210,000 in fines were for false filings on construction permit applications. In total the DOB found 42 such violations at 17 Kushner buildings. The false filing violations were specifically related to the rent-stabilization status of tenants living in the buildings at the time, the DOB stated.
The Department of Buildings said in connection with the Kushner Cos. fines in a prepared statement to Globest.com, “Protecting tenants is a key part of our mission to make construction safe for all New Yorkers, and we are determined to hold landlords accountable for the accuracy of their applications—no matter who they are.”
The Kushner Cos, in a statement released to the Real Deal, stated, “No fines were assessed against the company today. There were some violations issued for paperwork errors of the same type identified back in March and as we noted then, the company relied on third party consultants for the preparation of these forms and if in error they have been corrected or will be. In no case did the company act in disregard of the safety of our tenants. We look forward to presenting the facts before an administrative law judge and until then no amount is due.”
Reports of allegations of falsified permits on Kushner properties came to light earlier this year in separate reports by the New York Times and the Associated Press.
The New York State tenant protection unit is investigating allegations that the Kushner firm harassed tenants at some of its properties. That probe came to light in July in connection with a lawsuit filed in New York State Supreme Court y by current and former tenants of Austin Nichols House at 184 Kent Ave. in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
The 184 Kent Ave. property was not one of the 17 properties that prompted the DOB fines levied on Monday.