JARED FACTOR
City overlooks violations in apts. he owns – probe
The real estate empire owned by President Trump’s son-inlaw has been illegally operating apartment buildings in Brooklyn and Manhattan without certificates of occupancy — and the city Buildings Department has been letting him get away with it, according to an investigation.
Eight of Jared Kushner’s Manhattan buildings and one of his Brooklyn structures have no certificate of occupancy, the telltale housing document that verifies a building is habitable.
The allegations are the latest find in a two-year investigation by the Housing Rights Initiative and the City Council’s Oversight and Investigation Committee, which previously accused Kushner Cos. of falsifying more than 80 work permit applications across 34 buildings in its portfolio.
“If you examine the totality of the illegal properties you cannot help but conclude that illegality is at the core of the business practices of Kushner properties,” said City Councilman Ritchie Torres, chairman of the oversight panel.
Kushner Cos., meanwhile, is scaling back its city portfolio to focus investment in other areas of the country, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The company hired a broker to market five apartment buildings with a total of about 100 units in Manhattan’s East Village, according to the newspaper.
Properties belonging to Kushner, a senior adviser to President Trump, have come under intense scrutiny since the real estate mogul left to join his father-in-law in the White House.
Kushner is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, who also works as a senior administration official.
He sold his stake in many of his family holdings to a trust to avoid potential conflicts.
A company spokeswoman said Kushner takes safety and maintenance seriously.
“Kushner is committed to the safety of our residents and the proper maintenance of our buildings,” the spokeswoman said in a statement.
“Similar to many other landlords, we inherited from prior owners certificates of occupancy with various issues. Kushner will continue the long and detailed process to work with our consultants and the Department of Buildings to correct every issue outstanding.”
A Buildings Department spokesman denied that the city was turning a blind eye.
“This report is pure grandstanding,” the spokesman said.
“All but one of these buildings were constructed before the city began requiring certificates of occupancy.
“In cases where renovations occurred, [the Housing Rights Initiative] identified nothing more than paperwork lapses that have nothing to do with tenant safety. [The Buildings Department’s] top priority is safety — and indeed, we have inspected all these buildings or renovated units and deemed them safe to occupy.”