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After getting a deadly Legionnaires' outbreak that left 12 people dead and an estimated 120 people sick in the Bronx under control in August, the Health Department reported a new cluster of cases in the same borough this fall. The most recent cases have afflicted people ranging in age from 45 to 75. The first case was reported on Sept. 21, with six other cases coming to the attention of Health Department officials over the following week.

According to a recently issued NYU Furman Center study, the de Blasio administration's proposed reforms to 421-a would not interrupt the housing market, but could have wide-ranging effects on housing production in New York City. Under the changes proposed by the administration, building rental projects in some neighborhoods of the city would become even more lucrative than under the old program.

Airbnb, the short-term rental website, recently reached out to the City Council to discuss sharing data that would help the city crack down on those who are taking advantage of the site by running illegal hotels out of apartment buildings. After years of resisting handing over data, the company has changed course after a particularly contentious City Council hearing, wherein council members slammed the company for "turning a blind eye" to how users were abusing the website.

In an effort to help the city’s manufacturing sector, Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito recently unveiled a 10-point action plan that would prevent residential housing built during his tenure in zones designated for industrial businesses.

Proposals for rezoning land require approval from the City Council and mayoral administrations, giving them the authority to essentially declare a blanket ban such as this.

Queens Councilman Donovan Richards recently introduced legislation that would forbid New York City tenants living in city-subsidized apartments from smoking in their units. This type of law already applies in Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Albany.

The bill would apply to all 178,000 apartments in the New York City Housing Authority. The legislation does not yet specify penalties. And Richards said residents might get warnings, followed by fines for repeat offenses.

During the previous “heat season,” the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) attempted to make approximately 128,300 heat-related inspections, performed emergency repairs valued at more than $4.2 million, and initiated over 3,800 housing court actions based on heat violations.

In April of 2011, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued regulations requiring buildings to convert from No. 6 and No. 4 heavy heating oils to cleaner fuels. The deadline for the phase-out of all No. 6 heating oil, the dirtiest form of heating fuel, was June 30, 2015. To date, DEP has achieved 99.8 percent compliance with the regulation. The deadline for the phase-out of all No. 4 heating oil is Jan. 1, 2030.

The City Council recently introduced a package of 12 bills aimed at increasing protections for tenants who feel the Department of Buildings doesn’t adequately monitor owners who carry out unpleasant, and often dangerous, building renovations.

According to city officials, developers of 2,472 apartments spread across 194 buildings in New York City ignored the terms of the 421-a tax break by failing to register the apartments as rent stabilized. Under the 421-a tax incentive, developers are required to register apartments as rent stabilized, meaning their rents would be regulated by the city. Leases would also be renewable to tenants each year.

When the 421-a tax abatement policy expired on June 15, the number of building permits issued for the following month plummeted. According to statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of permits issued in July fell by 90 percent from June. The biggest losses were felt in Brooklyn and Queens, which saw a fall-off of 97 percent and 98 percent, respectively.