Dear Mr. Elbaz,
I read the NYARM newspaper every month and find it, and in particular your column, very interesting. This month [January, 2001] you address the matter of Window Guard notices.
Every year we have been receiving the Window Guard/Lead Paint notice sent correctly to us at 201 E. 82 Street, apartment 3E, our permanent residence. Suddenly, two years ago those notices began going to the address of a store on our corner, 1453 3rd Avenue. They were marked "undeliverable," as no one resides in the store and sent back to sender. These notices come with our landlord's name and address in the corner, but it is not the landlord who actually sends them out initially. After he gets them sent back to him, he has the super hand-deliver them to each tenant. Last year we almost missed the deadline because of the first delay. This year the mix-up occurred earlier, so we got them hand-delivered to us sooner, but disturbingly, the word "vacant" appeared hand-written on the label area. I asked the landlord to try to correct the address, but he does not feel it is a problem, as long as we eventually get it in time.
Last year I photocopied the previous year's correctly-addressed envelope, along with that current year's incorrectly addressed one, and sent them both to the Window Guard Division of the Department of Health, from which I gathered they were coming. They sent them back to me, saying they are not the ones who send them out and do not know who does.
Mr. Elbaz, exactly where do these Window Guard notices come from? I want to contact the source and have this address matter corrected. I even obtained letters from the Manhattan Borough President's Office and the Department of Buildings confirming that 201 East 82 Street is the correct address for all the affected residents. Notices to 1457 3rd Avenue tenants are o.k.
Thank you very much for any assistance you may be able to give us. We really will appreciate your help.
Sincerely yours,
Louise Spilka
Dear Ms. Spilka:
The window guard notice you receive is sent to you by the Rent Stabilization Association. Contact them at 212-214-9200, inform them of your problem and request that they correct your address immediately. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to request written confirmation, this way you'll have a year to determine if they've made the address change and not find out next year when the forms go out and you don't receive yours, again.
SE
P.S. Thank you for your kind words. I'm pleased that you find the NYARM newspaper and my column interesting.