So here's a number that ought to get facade contractors' attention: the share of New York City buildings getting hit with an 'Unsafe' rating under the Facade Inspection and Safety Program has climbed to 13.3%, according to a new analysis reported by Habitat Magazine.

Quick refresher for anyone who doesn't spend their days staring at parapet walls — FISP, still known on the street by its old name, Local Law 11, requires owners of buildings taller than six stories to have a qualified exam professional inspect the facade every few years and file a report with the Department of Buildings. Three ratings come out of that report: Safe, Safe with a Repair and Maintenance Program, or Unsafe. Unsafe isn't a suggestion — it triggers mandatory sidewalk protection and a required repair filing, usually inside 90 days.

Now, before you assume Manhattan's buildings are falling apart faster than they used to — the report frames this jump as more likely tied to sharper inspections catching more at-risk facades, not a sudden structural crisis. Same program, sharper pencil.

Here's what it means for your bid calendar, though. An Unsafe rating doesn't wait for spring letting season. It forces the owner into an emergency repair posture on a deadline DOB sets — not one the owner or GC picks. That means facade, masonry, and waterproofing subs who stay close to management companies and building engineers, not just the public bid boards, are the ones who get first crack at this work before it ever turns into a posted RFP.

If unsafe-rated buildings keep climbing, expect more of this work to move fast and quiet — structured as emergency repair contracts rather than competitively bid packages. Get on a few management companies' vendor lists now, because by the time a shed goes up outside a building, the clock on that job is already running.