Syracuse wants to help people better recognize housing violations

WAER | By Tarryn Mento,

John Smith

Published August 31, 2022 at 9:20 PM EDT

1 of 5 — CODE VIOLATION 1

A bathroom lacking finished wall infrastructure violates housing code violations.

John Smith / WAER

A moldy brick floor of a home is surrounded by padded unfinished walls and open electricity sockets.

2 of 5 — CODE VIOLATION 2

Molded covered floor violates housing violations.

John Smith / WAER

The dilapidated brown steps of the house's porch are old, rotted and unstable with splintering wood.

3 of 5 — CODE VIOLATION 3

The home's entrance includes an old wooden and broken porch.

John Smith / WAER

4 of 5 — CODE VIOLATION 4

A member of the city's code enforcement team stands next to several housing code violations, such as holes in the walls in the home's kitchen.

John Smith / WAER

Small amounts of mice droppings in a kitchen pantry, an electrical socket missing a wall plate and a chipped paint windowsill that is missing molding are areas of concern.

5 of 5 — CODE VIOLATION 5

The house's unliveable conditions show traces of mold on the floor and has uncovered electrical sockets.

John Smith / WAER

The city of Syracuse is working to address the 1,500 properties on its code violations list.

Officials previously funneled federal relief dollars to help landlords correct potentially harmful problems, and the city’s code enforcement team on Tuesday walked community members through a home with examples of violations.

Syracuse's director of code enforcement, Jake Dishaw said both tenant and property owner should pay attention to needed maintenance, especially in key areas.

“The big ones are fire safety, carbon monoxide safety. But a big focus now is on lead, and lead paint services and different services that do create elevated blood lead levels in our children throughout the city,” Dishaw said.

Dishaw said any chipped or cracked paint is a violation. Landlords could apply for grants to help cover the cost of fixing problems.