Two Oakland apartment buildings shut down by the city of Pittsburgh last week for fire code violations remain officially shuttered, but could be reopened soon, officials said yesterday.

Elrod Investments, owner of 331 McKee Place, has reported that it has "been working diligently" to repair defects, notably including a faulty fire escape, said acting Chief of Building Inspection Daniel Cipriani.

He said the repairs could be complete in a few days.

"Our ultimate goal is to have [tenants] back in the building in a safe condition," he said.

He said building inspectors had seen people moving furniture from that building and neighboring 337 McKee Place, also subject to an order to vacate, but "we're not physically standing guard there telling people they can't go in."

Mr. Cipriani said he had not gotten anything in writing from Century 21 Progress Realty, which manages 337 McKee, on its progress toward fixing unsafe conditions, including another inadequate fire escape.

Another Oakland apartment, 3408 Parkview Ave., owned by JLB Property Group, is safe for habitation, Mr. Cipriani said three days after a Friday fire and defective detectors and alarms spurred the city to station a pumper truck outside.

The smoke detectors and alarms are fixed, and the city mailed out notices of non-life-threatening violations like improper venting of dryers and holes in floors and ceilings yesterday, he said.

The decision on whether to fine landlords rests with District Judge Gene Ricciardi, who has cases pending on the properties, Mr. Cipriani said. The firms that own 3408 Parkview and 331 McKee are both run by Dormont-based landlord Jason Cohen.

"We are happy to report that they have made some investments and have made some changes," said Mayor Luke Ravenstahl. "I do believe that in the future, there will be investments in the properties as a result of the discussions and agreements" reached since the shut-downs.

It took nearly a year for inspections of 3408 Parkview to result in a court hearing and an order by Judge Ricciardi for an inside-and-out inspection. Mr. Ravenstahl said the fault lies in a haphazard, paperwork-based system of turning citations into housing code cases.

"When issues like this fall through the cracks, because we are using an archaic way of monitoring these properties by hand-writing these citations, it is frustrating," the mayor said.

City officials have been talking about equipping building inspectors with handheld computers that would help them track violations since Councilman William Peduto floated the idea in 2005. Mr. Ravenstahl's administration is trying to get such a system up and running by mid-year.