Building Codes of Basement Apartments - Essay Example

Despite the opposing views on illegal housing units and their impact on New York, reforms are key to ensuring that people access affordable safe habitable housing, as opposed to expensive and luxurious housing. The DOB issues annually more than 4,440 violations for illegal conversion of basements, cellars, and attics: - which are not fit for human occupancy due to health and safety risks. These violations can end only by adjusting the New York City Building or Housing Maintenance code, Article 5- Occupancy of cellars and basements. Amending the policy will guarantee that the priority of the city council to ensure the safety of its tenants is achieved. City officials mandated to provide proper and affordable housing are required to consider this proposal to make sure that no city dweller dies or falls sick due to the pathetic unsafe conditions of the illegal housing units.

Suggested opinions to warrant safe housing units include introducing policies on; Asthma free housing, issuing rental permits, yearly remodelling to maintain policies, and provision of adequate finances for building safe units. These measures ensure equality and safety for all the tenants who are inconvenienced by the existing policy regulations. Stakeholders’ decision to permit these changes will effect change and eradicate conflict with authorities.

Political and financial constraints may delay the achievement of the above suggestions. However, it is necessary to consider these options to increase the sustainability of the reforms. Political goodwill towards this policy will guarantee fairness and equity for the tenants and give room for other amendments of this nature to ensure a comfortable nation.

With this effect, institutions that have the responsibility to address this issue should see reason and encourage government support to amend the illegal housing policy. New York is one of the cities that contain luxurious apartments, should spare some resources for remodelling the units termed as illegal, and also work to ease the menace of illegal dwellings (Navarro, 2013). Furthermore, the city’s illegal dwellings should be inspected regularly to ensure standards and increase health and safety.