(a) No owner, vendee in possession, mortgagees or receiver in possession, lessee or joint lessee of the whole thereof, nor shall any other person, firm or corporation control, maintain or conduct any residential occupancy building which has been illegally converted without the required permit issued by the Commissioner of Building and Housing and which is used or occupied without a Certificate of Occupancy issued by the Commissioner.
(b) No contractor shall illegally convert any residential occupancy building or any part thereof by performing or causing to be performed any construction, repairs or alterations in or for such building without first obtaining the required permit issued by the Commissioner of Building and Housing or perform or cause to be performed in any residential occupancy building or any part thereof, any construction, repairs or alterations contrary to the drawings, plans or permit applications as approved by the Division of Building and Housing in issuing the required permit.
As used in this section, “contractor” means any person who undertakes to or offers to undertake to or purports to have the capacity to undertake to or submits a bid to, or does himself or herself or by or through others, construct, repair, alter, add to, subtract from, or improve any building or other structure or any part thereof. The term contractor includes subcontractor.