Are Child Safety Window Guards Required on the First Floor of a Brooklyn Brownstone?
One of my favorite Landlord/Owners who I frequent work with to find quality renters for her property asked me if she was required to install window guards on the front windows of her fabulous brownstone. She hoped not because aesthetically, they are not cute, and besides, the potential tenant that has an 8-year-old child will be living on the first floor.
The fact checker in me went straight to the web even though I was already pretty sure of 
the answer. According to New York City law as set out by the Department of Heath and Mental Hygiene, window guards are required if a building has three or more apartments and a child 10 and under lives in that building, even if the child lives on the first floor. Every window in the apartment must have a window guard except windows leading to fire escapes. Even windows in any public corridors must have window guards.
Beside the fact that it’s the law, window guards save lives. Every year many children fall from windows in New York City. Some of them die, many are very badly injured. I advise all of the landlords and tenants I work with to make sure window guards are in place in their apartments if children of any age will be living there. Last year in the Bronx a 14-year-old boy fell out of the window from the six floor. At his age he should have known better, but children will be children.
The standard window guards that you can buy from Home Depot or Lowe’s are indeed ugly, as you can see from the one pictured above, but there a many dressier (which means more expensive) alternatives.
I think aesthetics are important. Pretty things make us feel good, and a good-looking property has increased value but there’s nothing uglier than the death of a child that could have been easily prevented with window guards.
