Comptroller’s Auditors Find 40.1% of NYCHA Entrance Doors Have Broken Locks as Part of New “Resident-Powered Audit” Initiative

New York, NY – New York City Comptroller Brad Lander announced the completion of a quick response field review of building entry doors at NYCHA developments, finding that nearly 60% of residential building entrance doors were open and/or had broken locks. That number was up dramatically from 23.5% in a similar field review conducted in 2018.

The field review was prompted by surveys, conversations, and roundtable discussions with NYCHA residents, as part of the Comptroller’s new “resident-powered audit” initiative. In July, the Comptroller’s office launched a NYCHA residents survey, held a series of roundtables, and attended family days and community events in dozens of NYCHA developments across the five boroughs in an effort to ensure that the office’s oversight of NYCHA is guided by residents. Security concerns were a common theme among the over 600 survey responses and many personal discussions, with broken entry points repeatedly mentioned. On a visit to Unity Plaza Houses in Brooklyn, a resident suggested directly to the Comptroller that auditors go right then to check the entry doors of nearby buildings.

Following up on these concerns, the Comptroller’s Office Audit Bureau staff visited 262 NYCHA developments between August 30 and September 8, 2022. More than 100 auditors participated in the structured field review, including the Comptroller who personally returned to inspect the doors at Unity Plaza Houses. The resulting review found numerous instances of door locks that failed to securely latch onto the frames or strike plates, missing or malfunctioning frame magnets, and doors that were intentionally propped open. Specifically, 40.1% of entrance door locks across citywide NYCHA buildings were broken, along with 28.5% of rear or side doors. Additionally, 36.8% of residential building entrance doors were open, and 37.5% of rear or side doors.

In 2018, the Comptroller’s office conducted observations of NYCHA development doors and informed NYCHA of “numerous unlocked entrance doors and broken door locks” and recommended, among other things, that NYCHA should repair or replace damaged exterior doors, regularly inspect all exterior doors and maintain all doors and locks in good working order, and ensure that when exterior doors are obstructed or unsecured, maintenance staff are made immediately aware of the conditions, and the doors are promptly fixed.

In the four years since, the overall percentage of residential building entrance doors which were open and/or had broken locks increased dramatically from 23.5% to 57.9%.

Comparative Analysis of Summary Results of Residential Entrance Door Security Reviews Conducted in 2022 and 2018

NYCHA residents and employees informed auditors from the Comptroller’s office that doors were often propped open because intercoms, locks, keys, and door release buttons do not work and because residents lose their keys and replacement keys are expensive. In one instance, a NYCHA resident informed us that the building’s intercoms have been broken for 10 years. In other instances, NYCHA residents and employees informed us that NYCHA had repaired doors and intercoms; however, they were soon broken again.

“The goals of ‘resident-powered auditing’ are to give NYCHA residents real leadership of oversight work and to move the needle forward on urgently needed repairs and quality-of-life issues that matter most to them,” said Comptroller Brad Lander. “As we’ve listened to hundreds of NYCHA residents at Family Days, structured roundtables, and informal discussions this summer, it’s been agonizing to hear the level of frustration, distrust, and appalling conditions they endure. Broken doors are a symbolic reminder that home safety starts at the entrance. They jeopardize resident’s safety and convey from the start a lack of respect and stability. The challenges NYCHA faces are large, and both the costs of repair and the need for management reform can seem overwhelming. But making sure building entry doors close and lock is one meaningful, achievable step to restoring basic services, safety, and trust.”

The observations detailed in Comptroller Lander’s audit were sent to NYCHA’s Interim Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt to inform her of the findings, and point out that NYCHA developments with nonfunctioning locking mechanisms may be in violation of the Rules of the City of New York, Title 1, §42-01 which states:

• Every entrance from the street, court, yard or cellar to a class A multiple dwelling erected or converted after January 1, 1968 containing eight or more apartments shall be equipped with automatic self-closing and self-locking doors.
• On or after January 1, 1969, every entrance from the street, court, yard or cellar to a class A multiple dwelling erected or converted prior to January 1, 1968 containing eight or more apartments, shall be equipped with automatic self-closing doors and self-locking doors.

Along with highlighting the obvious safety risks to residents, the Comptroller’s office issued the following recommendations, including that NYCHA:

• Repair or replace damaged and missing exterior doors and equip them with sturdy, functional hardware;
• Regularly inspect all exterior doors and maintain all doors and locks in good working order; and
• Conduct a top-to-bottom review of its security and maintenance systems and procedures to ensure that when exterior doors are obstructed or unsecured, maintenance staff are made immediately aware of the conditions, and the doors are promptly fixed.
• Repair or replace damaged and missing door-closer mechanisms, door release buttons, intercoms, locks, and keys
• Engage with NYCHA residents and authorized visitors and NYCHA employees and contractors and communicate the importance of securing exterior doors

The completed NYCHA door review can be viewed here.

The survey for NYCHA residents will run through the end of September and is available in six different languages here. If NYCHA residents wish to give feedback on this review, suggest ideas for other audits, or reach out about other issues, they can contact the Comptroller’s Community Action Center at (212) 669-3916. To view past audits of NYCHA, please visit the Comptroller’s website here. NYCHA financial spending data, contract information, and vendors can be tracked on Checkbook NYC.

For more on audits released during Comptroller Lander’s tenure, please visit the new audit recommendations tracker here. New Yorkers can suggest specific audits of any city agency here.

[1] Doors noted as “not secured” include doors that were (1) propped open, (2) doors with broken or missing locks, and (3) doors which were propped open and had broken or missing locks.

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