Last month Governor Paterson signed legislation that required illegally converted loft buildings (think 475 Kent) to get up to code. According to the Brooklyn Paper, it was "designed to protect tenants in illegally occupied manufacturing buildings from landlord harassment and rental hikes, but would not prevent evictions if the building itself has significant safety violations"—it's known as the Loft Law. more ›

Want to avoid costly fines from the city for renting out illegally subdivided apartments? It's easy — just don't open the door. In the aftermath of a fatal fire that killed three Bangladeshi immigrants in an illegal basement apartment without sufficient exits, the Daily News pulls up some damning figures on the city's inability to crack down on these surprisingly ubiquitous deathtraps. more ›

The Bloomberg administration has augmented the Dept. of Buildings' budget by $5 million next year in order to hire an additional 63 building inspectors. It will bring the total number of inspectors to 461, versus 277 in 2002. The move comes on the heels of publicized events of fatal mishaps. more ›

The crane collapse last week that killed seven people showed just how weak the enforcement of safety rules and building codes are in New York City. In addition to the inspector who was arrested for faking a report on the inspection of the crane that collapsed on the East Side, engineer Jose Vargas was arraigned this month for failing to complete a final inspection on a discount store in the Bronx. The building collapsed unexpectedly during a fire in 2006, killing two firefighters. The Buildings Dept. is conducting a review of 29 other buildings that Vargas never signed off on. more ›