NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A group of Bronx tenants are suing their landlord after six months without gas and a slew of other problems ranging from unfixed leaks to pest infestation.
The Legal Aid Society filed a lawsuit against Patbru Realty on behalf of 41 residents living at 1349 Stratford Avenue — a 72-unit rent-stabilized apartment building.
The Soundview building currently has 471 open violations from the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, according to the LAS.
City records show 1,062 violations for the building since Patbru Realty acquired it in 1999.
Violations include the cessation of gas service, failure to remove lead paint and mold and allowing mice and cockroach infestations to grow without intervention.
"It is inexcusable that the cooking gas outage began in January 2022 and the owners of 1349 Stratford Avenue had not even obtained a permit to begin the repair work until four months later," said Russell Crane, a staff attorney at the LAS.
The LAS alleges the landlord is using neglect as a tactic to drive out rent-controlled tenants, which would allow them to raise the rent.
Patbru Realty denied any misconduct in a June 29 court filing.
On June 30, a lawyer for Concord Management, the company that oversees the property on behalf of Patbru Realty, gave a one-to-three-month timeline for gas service restoration.
Alithia Mackins Wilson, a tenant whose family has lived in the building for over 45 years, has 40 open HPD violations for her apartment.
"The lack of gas has a big impact on me. I need special food because I take certain medicines. Last month, my electric bill was $400 because I have to use multiple electric appliances to cook the food I need, she said.
“The hot plate I was given has already burnt out because of the bad electrical system in the building. They have started doing some work in the last few weeks, but it is just patchwork. They are pulling up the tiles that were on the kitchen floor — that I paid for and put down — and just putting new tiles down. But they are not fixing the actual issue, which is that the floor is sloping badly."
HPD’s Housing Litigation Department filed their own proceeding to address the violations.
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