By David Seifman
The New York Post
NEW YORK — After a spate of firetrap-housing deaths over the past two months, the city yesterday announced a new multi-agency task force that will target buildings where illegal apartment conversions are putting residents in danger.
The problem “has gotten worse and worse and worse,” Mayor Bloomberg said at a City Hall press conference with City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.
Six weeks ago, a 12-year-old and his parents died in an illegally subdivided house in The Bronx, the mayor noted.
John Feinblatt, the mayor’s chief policy adviser, said the city developed a “risk-assessment model” for thousands of buildings based on factors like financial status, complaint history, location and pre-1938 construction dates.
Using the model for a trial run, the city analyzed 225 illegal conversions. It generated a list of 16 apartments visited by teams including personnel from the Buildings, Housing and Fire departments. The visits yielded vacate orders for six apartments deemed safety hazards.
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