HPD Cracks Down on 7,500 False Certifications Through Second Annual Certification Watchlist

February 12, 2026

False certifications are concentrated in the Bronx, with 78 buildings added to the 2026 Watchlist
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New York, NY - Building on recent enforcement actions, including a $2.1 million settlement with A&E Real Estate and the annual announcement of the Alternative Enforcement Program, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) today announced its second annual Certification Watchlist. By publicly highlighting 100 buildings with over 7,500 falsely certified violations, HPD emphasizes the importance of compliance and sends a clear message that attempts to avoid correction requirements will be addressed seriously.

"Tenants should be able to rely on their homes to be safe, livable, and maintained, and HPD will hold landlords accountable when they fail to deliver on that basic right," said Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Dina Levy. "Today, we are placing 100 buildings on the Certification Watchlist-triggering heightened oversight, mandatory re-inspections, and escalated penalties. From heat and hot water to mold and pest infestations, we are taking action to hold negligent owners accountable and ensure that tenants receive the safe, habitable homes they are entitled to."

Certification Watchlist Overview
The 2026 Watchlist includes 100 buildings, which collectively certified over 20,000 hazardous or immediately hazardous violations in 2025, with 7,500 found to be falsely certified upon reinspection. The largest buildings with false certifications are primarily in the Bronx. The breakdown across the city includes:

• Manhattan: 5 buildings
• The Bronx: 78 buildings
• Brooklyn: 13 buildings
• Queens: 2 buildings
• Staten Island: 2 buildings

Of the buildings on this year's list, 44 also appeared on last year's Certification Watchlist. HPD has pending litigation against 15 of these repeat offenders. 3 of the new properties added to the list also have open HPD litigation cases for false certifications or failure to correct open violations.

Selection Criteria and Program Growth
When HPD violations are issued, property owners must correct the conditions and certify completion within legal timeframes to avoid civil penalties. Once an owner notifies HPD that a condition has been corrected, tenants receive a notice encouraging them to request a reinspection if issues persist. HPD also conducts random audits of certified corrections, typically attempting reinspection within 70 days. A false certification subjects a property owner to civil penalties.

In 2025, HPD reinspected nearly 63% of certified class C violations, which are the most immediately hazardous issues. Under Local Law 71 of 2023, HPD identifies multiple dwellings with more than 20 hazardous or immediately hazardous violations certified as corrected during the prior year, where at least four were falsely certified. Pest violations are excluded. Buildings with the highest number of false certifications are selected for the Watchlist.

Keeping violations open when the conditions still exist, and certifications are found to be false, ensures that buildings remain candidates for other enhanced enforcement programs and continue to assess additional actions to reinforce that owners must correct violations properly and certify accurately. Some 2026 Watchlist buildings also appear in other HPD enforcement programs: 12 are in the Alternative Enforcement Program, 8 have open Underlying Conditions orders, 8 are in the Heat Sensors Program, 8 were inspected by the Proactive Self-Closing Door Initiative, and 58 have been inspected by the Anti-Harassment Unit. For more information on HPD's enhanced enforcement programs, visit here.

About the Certification Watch List
The Watchlist identifies 100 properties where owners or managing agents falsely certified the correction of a significant number of hazardous or immediately hazardous violations issued by HPD in the previous calendar year.