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Guide to how to navigate the Buildings Dept. labyrinth?

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Guide to how to navigate the Buildings Dept. labyrinth?

Postby mkraft » Thu Sep 14, 2006 7:29 pm

Is there by any chance a Buildings Dept. 'How To' posted anywhere on tenant.net?

I mean a 'user's guide' on how to navigate the Buildings Dept. 'system' - both on-line and off-line to find the information you want or need.

The lack of security (job folders disappearing, etc.) at DOB is bad enough. Do we really need to be at the mercy of employees who rarely seem to know very much about how to assist tenants?

Help, tenant.net.
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Re: Guide to how to navigate the Buildings Dept. labyrinth?

Postby Anna » Sat Sep 16, 2006 9:22 am

mkraft wrote:Is there by any chance a Buildings Dept. 'How To' posted anywhere on tenant.net?

I mean a 'user's guide' on how to navigate the Buildings Dept. 'system' - both on-line and off-line to find the information you want or need.


Not on TN: on DOB.
There are many many faqs, instructions, etc., on navigating DOB online on DOB online.
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Postby lofter1 » Sat Sep 16, 2006 6:45 pm

If you ask a specific question regarding what you are looking for on the DOB website I might be able to guide you.
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Re: Guide to how to navigate the Buildings Dept. labyrinth?

Postby mkraft » Sun Sep 17, 2006 5:38 pm

Anna wrote:There are many many faqs, instructions, etc., on navigating DOB online on DOB online.


If that's the case, the location of the type of information I'm looking for is buried in some non-obvious location. I see very little actual 'how to' at DOB's website.

For example, I've been made aware of 'icards' which supposedly hold early records for older buildings. Since the job file I wanted seems to have disappeared at DOB, I thought I'd check the icard records. But when I type 'icards' into the search box I get no results.

Meanwhile, some DOB employees claim that the icards no longer exist because "all the information is available online" now.

Really? Where? It's not anywhere I can see in the information that's returned from a search of the building address or block/lot number.
mkraft
 
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Location: NYC (Manhattan)

Postby mkraft » Sun Sep 17, 2006 5:40 pm

lofter1 wrote:If you ask a specific question regarding what you are looking for on the DOB website I might be able to guide you.


Thanks. Please see my reply to Anna re: icards.

I was also hoping to find some kind of online 'user manual' for how to use DOB's online system. Does anything of the sort exist there?
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Re: Guide to how to navigate the Buildings Dept. labyrinth?

Postby Anna » Mon Sep 18, 2006 9:17 am

mkraft wrote:If that's the case, the location of the type of information I'm looking for is buried in some non-obvious location. I see very little actual 'how to' at DOB's website.

For example, I've been made aware of 'icards' which supposedly hold early records for older buildings. Since the job file I wanted seems to have disappeared at DOB, I thought I'd check the icard records. But when I type 'icards' into the search box I get no results.

Meanwhile, some DOB employees claim that the icards no longer exist because "all the information is available online" now.

Really? Where? It's not anywhere I can see in the information that's returned from a search of the building address or block/lot number.


Once again, you fail to inform us what info you can't locate; nor have you mentioned what year the job took place.
As stated many times here & on DOB, the details of some older records [violations, jobs, COs] have not yet been made accessible online. These records will have to be manually typed or scanned into BIS.
Since DOB seemed to indicate to you that these 'icards' predate the current and previous DOB computer systems, make a formal written request for the records [w/o specifying 'icard'] and/or file a FOIL.
If this 'substantial rehab' resulted in LL claiming apts exempt from RS, some previous T in bldg may have filed a complaint w/DHCR or w/CAB, its predecessor; get a complaint history from DHCR.
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Postby lofter1 » Mon Sep 18, 2006 4:57 pm

As Anna says a FOIL request is probabaly your best way to go.

btw: I've never heard of "icards", but my dealings with DOB only go back about 15 years.
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