Everything you need to know about your Annual Safety Mailing

What is Annual Safety Mailing?

All property managers/landlords of a building with 3+ apartments must send yearly safety documentation and forms to tenants in order to ensure compliance with city agencies.

What are your requirements as a property manager/landlord?

You must:

• Hand deliver, mail first-class or send with January’s rent bill all required forms & information,
• Track and store responses and follow up on non-respondents,
• Inspect properties for lead paint and oversee any required window guard installations,
• Notify the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) if you can’t determine if a child lives in a unit, and
• Keep records of sent mailings, follow-up efforts and tenant responses.

Pro-Tip: If you don’t receive responses from tenants, you need to inspect their apartments for proof of child(ren). If you can’t get into their apartments to do so, document and retain proof of your efforts for ten years to avoid criminal charges and liability.

What is included in the Annual Safety Documentation?

1. Fire & Emergency Preparedness (FEP) Guides – NEW to 2018!
2. Window Guard Notices
3. Lead Paint Notices
4. Forms inquiring about the ages of any children living in your tenants’ apartments, window guards and NEW to 2018, stove knob covers.

When must it be done?

• Notices must be delivered between December 15^th 2018, and January 16^th, 2019.
• Tenants must respond by February 15^th.

What are the penalties if you don’t do it?

The DOHMH and FDNY levy fines ranging from $500 to $5000 per violation for landlords who do not comply with this law.

If an accident occurs in one of your dwellings and you did not comply with this law, you may be charged with a crime, which can mean increased insurance rates, and/or prison time. To make it even worse, you can be hit with a lawsuit for negligence from the affected tenant.

How can you expedite your Annual Safety Documentation?

The Jaffa team can take care of the entire process for you. From mailing the forms to following up on any work that needs to be done as a result of your responses.

All you’ll need to do is fill out some basic information on our website and Jaffa will take care of the rest. Plus, we provide 5 easy ways for your tenants to respond ensuring a higher response rate, enabling your compliance.

Additionally, Jaffa can help you  keep tabs on the process by tracking the entire process online and viewing a scanned copy of the responses whenever you need them.

View a clip about it here or Contact Jaffa today for more details.