CBS New York Investigates: New Jersey re-inspection backlog 15,000 properties deep
PLAINFIELD, N.J. -- The horrid living conditions recently uncovered at a Plainfield apartment complex have exposed what some lawmakers call a loophole.
When inspectors find violations, there is no deadline for when they should check back to make sure it gets fixed.
It's an issue CBS 2 investigative reporter Tim McNicholas has been digging into for months.
What we're finding is an inspection backlog, causing violations to linger for months -- from peeling paint, to damaged walls, to fire escapes so rusty they're considered safety hazards.
In May of 2020, Newark firefighters rushed to 400 Irvine Turner Blvd. to rescue trapped tenants from a two-alarm blaze, which sent a child to the hospital and temporarily forced 19 people from their homes.
"It was a fire, a big fire, and we got like burned out," tenant Letrina Newton said.
That included Newton's sister and nephew, who live a floor above her in the building.
"My apartment was fine, but Red Cross people came and put other people like in a hotel and stuff," Newton said.
Those memories are just a snapshot of why tenants are worried about fire safety. They know what can happen.
READ MORE: Nearly 180 new violations found at condemned Plainfield apartment complex
So imagine their frustration when in June of last year, state housing inspectors marked their rusty fire escapes as a life safety violation. New Jersey's Bureau of Housing Inspection asked the building owner to provide proof that they had a test done to ensure the fire escapes can support peoples' weight. And inspectors ordered the owner to repair or replace the fire escapes by Aug. 22 of last year.
"They supposed to fix that and it's still not fixed," Newton said.
The state is supposed to check back at properties to make sure the owner fixes violations. But more than a year after that inspection, records show the re-inspection has still not started and the state still has no documentation of that weight test.
"That's scary. That's scary. Like I said, my daughter, and my sister, she got my nephew upstairs. I'm right here on the first floor. What they gonna do?" Newton said.
CBS New York has learned that's just one of more than 15,000 properties in New Jersey where the deadline has passed for an owner to fix violations but the state has not yet re-inspected to check if the owner actually fixed the problems.
The state said it is dealing with a backlog of inspections stemming from the pandemic, so CBS New York re-inspected some of those properties.
It has been eight months since the state visited the Okum family's apartment in Paterson and ordered their landlord to repair a bathroom ceiling to have an even and smooth surface.
"It's uncomfortable," John Okum said. "We thought they would be coming to do it, but, still, nobody came."
It has been 10 months since inspectors ordered Patricia Reece's landlord to install a peephole on her door and a handrail in her bathtub.
"And they never did?" McNicholas asked.
"No," Reece replied.
READ MORE: Plainfield mayor: Families displaced by condemned buildings may not be able to return any time soon
And then there's the property in Plainfield, where the mayor said he recently discovered unsafe living conditions and condemned one of the buildings.
But records show the state had already found 235 violations there back in 2021 and didn't re-inspect until last month. State inspectors found 178 new violations, and learned most of the old ones weren't fixed.
The state said it is working to add new housing inspectors and has been ramping up its inspections since the pandemic.
"We need to set where, listen, re-inspections, for when you get it, maybe re-inspection is done within 60 days. Landlords need to comply," said Assemblywoman Linda Carter, who represents Plainfield.
But for now, there is no deadline for how quickly the state should re-inspect.
Just below some rusty fire escapes in Newark, CBS New York talked to a man who said he was working at the building.
"Has it been worked on at all?" McNichiolas asked.
"I just started working on it. Any questions you have ..." the worker said.
"You said you just started working on it?" McNicholas asked.
He closed the door on McNicholas. Then a man who said he was a spokesperson for Irvine Turner Apartments reached out and said the fire escapes should be repaired by the end of September.
The tenants hope they don't have to use them before then.
READ MORE: Owner of uninhabitable Plainfield building fires management company
CBS New York also reached out Reece's landlord and they said they're now finally installing her peephole and handrail.
The landlords we reached out to would not agree to interviews with us, and neither would the state's Housing Inspection Bureau.
In a series of emails, a spokesperson for the Housing Inspection Bureau provided multiple statements:
"DCA's Bureau of Housing Inspection has been focusing on re-inspections since the height of the pandemic passed, particularly since the COVID public health emergency was lifted in March 2022. The Bureau has dedicated a portion of its inspection resources to focus on re-inspections of properties with life safety violations and of properties that are most past the date by when the property owner had to correct the violations. The Bureau is also actively working to increase the number of multiple-dwelling housing inspectors. In 2021, the Bureau received approval to hire 27 multiple-dwelling inspectors including 10 new apprentice inspectors. The apprentice title was created to give DCA a larger pool of candidates. This title allows candidates who do not meet all of the requirements for a full license to obtain an apprentice license. The apprentice will then acquire the additional experience on the job. This hiring practice has had a positive impact. DCA has gained many young inspectors who otherwise would not have been able to meet the experience requirements due to their age."
"As we've previously explained, the Bureau's inspectors faced issues accessing housing units during the pandemic, which contributed to a backlog of inspections and re-inspections. Since the height of the pandemic in 2020/2021, the Bureau's re-inspection activity has steadily increased. It increased by 140% from FY21 to FY22 and by 55% from FY22 to FY23. Additionally, based on data from July 2023 (the first month of FY24), the Bureau is on track to increase re-inspections by 70% from the prior fiscal year."
Of those 15,000 properties CBS New York identified, about 13,000 have at least one life safety violation.