Creation of an office of the homeowner advocate within the department of housing preservation and development.

A Local Law to amend the New York city charter, in relation to the creation of an office of the homeowner advocate within the department of housing preservation and development.

This bill would create the Office of the Homeowner Advocate (OHA) within the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. OHA would be tasked with providing support to homeowners, defined in the bill as owners of owner occupied one-family dwellings, two-family dwellings, and multiple dwellings. Support would include acting as a liaison between homeowners and City, State, and Federal agencies, providing referrals to homeowners, and holding trainings for homeowners. OHA would help homeowners access private and public financial and technical resources. OHA would create public awareness campaigns about the rights and responsibilities of homeowners. In addition to providing support to homeowners, OHA would also be required to report annually on homeowner inquiries received, amount of time taken to address these inquiries, and actions taken to address these inquiries. Finally, OHA would be required to report on existing non for profit organizations that provide free and low cost services to homeowners as well as recommendations for such services that are not currently available.