ALBANY — A city review ordered in the wake of a fire on Western Avenue that killed two people last month has found that nearly half of the buildings on a city registry of rental properties do not have valid permits necessary for renting apartments to the public.
Out of 8,371 buildings on the city’s residential occupancy permit registry, the owners of 3,576 of them had allowed their permits to expire or otherwise lapse.
The city’s Department of Buildings and Regulatory Compliance released the figures to the Times Union last week in response to a Freedom of Information Law request…