Call
911 to report:
- A hazardous or dangerous condition
- Illegal activity in progress
Need something else?
- Vacant Building Complaint to report a completely vacant building, people living in or using a vacant building for other purposes, or a vacant building with boarded windows or exposed doors
- Rat or Mouse Complaint to report rats, mice, or conditions that might attract them
- Dirty Yard or Alley to report dirty conditions outside a private property that are visible from public street or sidewalk
"Zombie homes" are neglected or deteriorated vacant and abandoned small homes whose owners may be behind on their mortgage payments. Zombie homes can be found in many neighborhoods throughout the city. Many are the result of the Great Recession and the 2008-2009 foreclosure crisis.
The Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD)'s Zombie Homes Initiative works to address some of the problems often associated with zombie homes, including public health and safety risks, destabilized property values, and homeowner instability. Through this initiative, HPD performs exterior surveys of zombie homes, ensures the ongoing maintenance of zombie homes, and finds strategies to return them to productive use.
HPD also helps enforce the Abandoned Property Neighborhood Relief Act of 2016 (the "Zombie Law"), the New York State legislation requiring lenders and mortgage servicers to inspect, secure, maintain, and report the zombie homes in their portfolios. HPD collects evidence of zombie homes that are not being maintained and shares it with the New York City Law Department, which pursues legal action against the banks and mortgage servicers as appropriate.
Learn more about the Zombie Homes Initiative.
You can report a zombie home to HPD by phone.
