Home repair and landlord maintenance in the Bronx

Much of the Bronx is rental housing: prewar walk-ups and elevator buildings along the Grand Concourse and in Mott Haven, Highbridge, Fordham and Kingsbridge, plus small multifamily buildings across the borough. For the owners of those buildings, repairs are constant, and a lot of them are driven by city housing rules and tenant complaints rather than by choice.

We handle that day-to-day work: leaks and plumbing repairs, plaster and paint, apartment turnovers, and the fixes behind HPD violations. We also renovate kitchens and bathrooms in Bronx houses and co-ops, from Riverdale to Throgs Neck. Our crews speak English, Spanish, Bengali, Hindi and Urdu, which matters in a borough where many tenants and owners speak another language first. Estimates are free.

Walk-ups and multifamily rentals

A typical prewar Bronx walk-up has five or six stories, a shared boiler in the cellar, radiators in every room, and cast-iron and galvanized piping that has been patched many times. The same problems repeat: leaks from an upper bathroom into the ceilings below, cracked plaster, worn stair treads, failing window sashes, and mold where ventilation is poor.

We fix the source of a leak before repairing the ceiling, and we repair plaster properly so the patch doesn't fail after the next leak. Between tenants, we turn apartments over with painting, floor refinishing or replacement, fixture and cabinet repairs, and a final walk-through with photos, so the unit is ready to show sooner.

Paint work in older buildings needs care. New York City has lead paint rules for older apartment buildings, especially where young children live, including requirements when an apartment turns over. Check HPD's guidance on your obligations, and tell us about any young child in a unit before we start work there.

Heat, hot water and HPD compliance

Heat season in New York City runs from October 1 to May 31. During those months, if it is below 55°F outside between 6am and 10pm, apartments must be kept at 68°F or warmer; overnight, from 10pm to 6am, they must be at least 62°F regardless of the outside temperature. Hot water must be at least 120°F all year. Tenants who don't get it can call 311, and HPD can issue violations.

In buildings with three or more apartments, window guards are required where a child 10 or younger lives, and owners send an annual notice asking tenants about children. Owners must also install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. These come up during HPD inspections along with leaks, mold, pests and broken fixtures.

HPD violations are classed A, B or C, from non-hazardous to immediately hazardous, with shorter correction deadlines as the class rises. We fix the cited conditions, photograph the completed work, and give you the documentation to certify the correction with HPD. Our landlord maintenance plans add seasonal checks so fewer problems are waiting when heat season and the next inspection come around.

Riverdale, Fieldston and the east Bronx

Not all of the Bronx is apartment buildings. Riverdale and Fieldston have detached houses on hilly, wooded lots, many from the early twentieth century, with stone, stucco and slate details. Fieldston is a private community and a city historic district, and parts of Riverdale fall in special zoning that protects trees and steep slopes, so check the rules before major exterior or landscaping work.

In the east Bronx, Pelham Bay, Throgs Neck, Country Club, Morris Park and City Island are mostly one- and two-family houses, some close to the water. There the work looks more like Queens: kitchens and baths, basement leaks, driveways, fences and sidewalks. Waterfront blocks near Throgs Neck and City Island can face coastal flooding, which affects how we finish basements and where mechanical equipment should sit.

Co-op City, the large cooperative development in the northeast Bronx, has its own management and rules for apartment alterations. Before we renovate a kitchen or bathroom there, you'll need management's approval, and we plan the work around the hours, deliveries and procedures it sets, the same way we would for any co-op board.

Repairs that hold up in older buildings

A lot of repair work in older buildings fails because it treats the symptom. A ceiling patched without fixing the leak above, a cabinet replaced on a rotted subfloor, or paint over damp plaster will come back, often as a new tenant complaint. We trace the cause first, and we tell you when the real fix is in the apartment upstairs or the riser rather than the room where the damage shows. Our maintenance plans keep a photo record of every visit, so you can see what was done in each apartment without going there.

You are also responsible for the sidewalk in front of your building. NYC DOT can issue a violation for cracked or raised flags, and a broken sidewalk is a liability risk for the owner. We repair sidewalks, front steps and areaway stairs, and repoint brick where water is getting into the building, along with other exterior work.

Neighborhoods we serve in The Bronx

Mott Haven, Morrisania, Highbridge, Concourse, Tremont, Fordham, Belmont, Bedford Park, Norwood, Kingsbridge, Riverdale, Fieldston, Spuyten Duyvil, Parkchester, Soundview, Castle Hill, Morris Park, Pelham Bay, Throgs Neck, Country Club, City Island, Co-op City, Wakefield, Williamsbridge

Landlord maintenance in the Bronx — One number for your tenants, emergency repairs, turnovers, inspections and help clearing HPD violations, with photos from every visit.

Plumbing & electrical in the Bronx — Leak tracing, fixture and pipe replacement, and wiring repairs in walk-ups and multifamily buildings.

Painting & flooring in the Bronx — Apartment turnovers, hallway and stairwell painting, and floor refinishing or replacement between tenants.

Plaster & masonry repair in the Bronx — Plaster and drywall repair after leaks, brick repointing, and sidewalk and front step repair.

Kitchen & bathroom renovation in the Bronx — Durable rental-unit and owner-occupied kitchen and bath remodels, from Riverdale houses to Co-op City apartments.

Free estimate in the Bronx — Call or text 929-400-9900; if you have open HPD violations, send the list and we will price each item.

What are the heat and hot water rules for Bronx landlords?

From October 1 to May 31, apartments must be at least 68°F between 6am and 10pm whenever it is below 55°F outside, and at least 62°F from 10pm to 6am regardless of the outdoor temperature. Hot water must be at least 120°F all year. Tenants can report problems to 311, and HPD can inspect and issue violations.

Can you help clear HPD violations on my building?

Yes. Send us the violation list and we will price each item. We fix the conditions, from leaks and plaster to window guards and broken fixtures, photograph the completed work, and give you documentation to certify the corrections with HPD. Class C violations are immediately hazardous and have the shortest deadlines, so we schedule those first.

When are window guards required in the Bronx?

In buildings with three or more apartments, owners must install window guards in any apartment where a child 10 or younger lives, and on public hallway windows in those buildings. Owners send an annual notice asking tenants about children. Windows that open onto a fire escape are exempt, and the guards must be an approved type.

Do you work on houses in Riverdale and Throgs Neck, or only apartment buildings?

Both. In Riverdale and Fieldston we work on older detached houses with plaster, stone and stucco, and in Pelham Bay, Throgs Neck and Country Club on one- and two-family homes: kitchens, baths, basements, fences and sidewalks. Fieldston is a historic district and a private community, so exterior changes there need extra approvals.

Do your crews speak Spanish?

Yes. Our crews speak English, Spanish, Bengali, Hindi and Urdu. That helps when we need access to an apartment, have to explain a repair to a tenant, or walk an owner through an estimate. Tell us the language you or your tenants prefer when you call or text 929-400-9900, and we will plan the visit around it.