This death should signify that there is something wrong in New York’s regulatory housing.

We have reached the point where owners have many ways to increase the rent.

It appears that the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal are aiding and abetting the landlords in speeding rent to a free market.

There is a proactive policy of the Pataki Administration to make regulatory housing a dinosaur as Republicans love the free market.

While Pataki’s conviction of attacking regulatory housing is honest the Bloomberg administration exercises a cynical indifference which can be seen as scholastically dishonest.

The focus of the City’s affordable housing program is to build new housing mostly for those who enjoy incomes in excess of $50,000. Thus, except for tokenism the working poor are excluded.

The indifference to regulatory housing by this Mayor is demonstrated by the fact that the Mayor never uses his bully pulpit to address the Urstadt Law which strangles the powers of the City to effectively address the rents.

The Mayor also sits by watching the deterioration of enforcement arms of the City agency Housing Preservation and Development and the State agency New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal.

What this means is fewer inspectors and attorneys to enforce regulations so that violations except, in the most extreme circumstances, remain and landlord’s are assured that there is no one to police the violations. Landlords also note that even if the repair is not made nothing happens to the landlord who falsely certifies remodel of a violation. It is a joke that this City has an honor system for the landlord industry where honor is a rare commodity.

We have a City where housing is so scarce that there have been cribs of illegal housing found in illegal basements especially as to the undocumented.