A homeowner in Queens, NY, is none too thrilled after she paid the city more than $1,100 for repair on sidewalk cracks that went un-repaired for more than a decade before she purchased the building in 2008.

Records show that the city first flagged the sidewalk damage in August, 1995. A repair job was performed at the time, but it was deemed as unacceptable and the then-homeowner was issued a violation in 1996.

And then nothing happened until shortly after the new homeowners moved in.

“They came, and they marked it off and then repaired it,” the homeowner, who says she was never told about the decade-old violation, tells the NY Post. “They never mentioned any bill for it.”

And then she got the bill for $1,122.48, which she paid in order to avoid any interest charges. She’s now asking for a refund and has the backing of a local politician.

“It is simply ridiculous to ask the city to perform unannounced and unexpected work and charge the homeowner . . . for it,” State Sen. Tony Avella tells the Post. “If you get a violation, the city is supposed to give you 45 days notice. But she never got a notice.”

The city stands by its actions, saying it’s up to the buyer of a property to research outstanding violations and get them fixed if needed.

A city official tells the Post, “One way or another, she would have had to pay to get this fixed.”

Homeowner rips bill for sidewalk fix [NY Post]

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