The New York City law requires landlords to mount window guards in every apartment where a child aged 10 or under lives or when a resident requests them, including ground floor apartments.

It’s that time of year! Folks are throwing back the drapes and letting the light and air of spring and summer indoors! This is the most important time to make sure window guards are installed where children are living and that they are properly installed on all windows. Every window in your New York building should have a window guard.

Installing window guards has been essential for safety in New York City and the state implemented a law stating that anyone in a building can request window guards from their landlord, for any reason. As a property manager you must supply window guard notices to tenants who complete and return them. Be sure you are up to date on your window guard requests by apartment dwellers!

The New York City law requires landlords to mount window guards in every apartment where a child aged 10 or under lives or when a resident requests them, including ground floor apartments.

Windows can very often be hazardous for young children. According to a CNN blog, 5,000 children per year end up in the emergency room from window falls. This fact poses a considerable risk to your property management. Additionally, windows without window guards may pose a risk for possible break-ins.

You must give you the notice within the first 30 days after the start of the lease. And, every year after that, between January 1 and January 16 (or earlier with your January rent bill), landlords must send another notice to tenants to find out if a child 10 years of age or younger lives in the home, or if the tenant wants window guards for any other reason.

To improve safety on your properties, consider offering to install window guards on all windows.

A common question our team gets is, “Do I need to install window guards even if there are window stops?” Unfortunately, window stops are not a substitute for window guards. Window stops keep the window from opening fully. However, some residents may want to let more air into the property and remove the window stop, which completely opens the window. This creates the potential for accidents to occur.

We have assisted property managers all across New York and we’re happy to share our work with you. Should you need assistance in the proper window guard selection for your building or how to stay within the parameters of the law, please give us a call.