A City Council bill aimed at cracking down on slumlords has the approval of the mayor, tenant advocates (including Make the Road by Walking) and a major landlord group. WNYC’s Cindy Rodriguez reports.

REPORTER: The proposed legislation is aimed at putting pressure on landlords who run some of the shoddiest buildings in the city. City Council Speaker Christine Quinn says it allows inspectors to search for the underlying causes of common problems such as leaky faucets and roofs. QUINN: If that means the landlord has to put in new pipes, that’s what they’re going to have to do.

REPORTER: When landlords don’t fix problems, the city will, and charge the owner for it. That happens already. But Quinn says the legislation strengthens current practices, because it also calls for top to bottom inspections of troubled buildings. Two hundred buildings are expected to be targeted in the first year. The city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development says between 800 and 1000 buildings are badly maintained and in need of serious repairs. For WNYC, I’m Cindy Rodriguez.