Frequently Asked Questions

Are tenant’s complaints important? Why not focus on violations?
In the past, when a tenant files a complaint with HPD, you are not notified and have no idea that an inspector is due to arrive to inspect your property. In fact, you will not be aware of the entire process until 3-4 days later when you receive new violation in the mail.
EMPOWER NY alerts you (and/or your Super, Manager, maintenance office, etc.) as soon as HPD records a complaint made to 311 giving your company a 24-48 hour lead time prior to the inspectors arrival, which provides ample time to perform a “sweep” of the apartment to make sure that the issue being complained about as well as other maintenance issues are resolved.
Having someone respond to a complaint immediately will help build tenant confidence and encourages them to call your office when an issue arrives rather than call 311.
Responding immediately and conducting a “sweep” will also reduce your overall violation count. On average, in NYC, 1 complaint turns into 4 new violations. For example: If one of your tenants complains about hot water, the inspector, while visiting the apartment, will issue 3 new violations that are completely unrelated to the original complaint, many of which - like smoke detectors and window guards -are completely avoidable if only you knew about them.
Can I create work orders for my vendor or super using EMPOWER NY?
Yes. EMPOWER NY has a very powerful filtering engine which will let you pinpoint violations or complaints by borough, building, and, most importantly, type of complaint (e.g. vermin, no heat, etc.) which will let you create a specific work order based on the type of work needed. Once the list is created, you can export it and email it, work with it in Excel, or upload it to your software.
Does EMPOWER help avoid HPD litigation?
Yes.

The decision to litigate would be for false certification, heat and hot water, access warrants and most importantly comprehensive cases, which are buildings that have old non certified violations, and/or excessive violation counts that still remain on record.

Using EMPOWER will help you lower your violation count and lower your overall exposure to litigation by tracking your total violations per unit (VPU).
How does EMPOWER help me if the tenant already called 311?
In NYC, on average, a typical complaint becomes 4 violations. When the inspector arrives at the apartment, they will inspect the apartment for any other issues that warrant a violation.
EMPOWER NY will give you and your team enough time to have the super or manager knock on the tenant’s door, discuss the issues with the tenant and complete a quick inspection for other issues that can be corrected.
How many people can I set up to receive email notifications from EMPOWER NY?
There is no limit as to how many users can be added to an account. We encourage all our clients to add as many as possible – information is power.
Once I get notified of a complaint, how long do I have before an HPD inspector will arrive?
In most cases an inspector from HPD will arrive at the property to conduct the inspection 24 – 48 hours after the tenant filed the complaint.
What can I do if HPD issues an Emergency Repair on my property?
Once an Emergency Repair (ERP) is issued by HPD on your property, the work can – and most likely will – be performed by a NYC approved contractor who will be paid by HPD for their services.
Once the work is complete, HPD, through the Department of Finance, will bill the owner for the cost of repairs (plus a 15% HPD administration fee, plus tax). If the owner fails to pay the bill within 60 days, a lien is placed on the property.
EMPOWER NY will notify you immediately when an Emergency Repair is issued on any of your properties. You can set it to notify the manager, super, security, office, etc. any of which can now simply refuse access to the crew and perform the work yourself saving thousands on repair costs.
Why does it help me to know about an Emergency Repair ordered by HPD? Don’t I have to pay for the work regardless of who actually performs the work?
On average our clients report the cost of actually performing the necessary repairs in-house or using their own vendors, is less than half of what the city awards to its contractors.
EMPOWER notifies you and your team as soon as an ERP is issued, giving you ample time to begin work before the city-approved contractors arrive.