10 Points! How do I report a building violation in New York?

Question

I have neighbors that I believe are illegally renting their basement (it has a kitchen and everything). It's a residential area. How do I report them?

Answer 1

Call the local housing department as all rentals must be registered with the city.  They will scope it out and hopefully get rid of the problem.

Answer 2

Call the zoning/building commissioner in your town and ask if renting out the basement is legal.  Some towns will allow you to do that...or even rent out one room.  A lot of the decision is based on if there's a parking problem or if the square footage is enough for a certain amount of people to live in.