Tenants in 5 buildings on East 103rd Road in East Harlem gathered final week to sue their landlord and threaten to withhold hire over their residing circumstances. The owner, Isaac Kassirer and his agency Emerald Equities, is reportedly Quantity 72 on Public Advocate Jumaane Williams’s 100 Worst Landlord Watchlist.
About 40 tenants within the buildings (112, 118, 122, 124, and 126) on East 103rd Road not solely mentioned repairs are routinely not achieved, however are additionally suing Kassirer, alleging that his agency has stolen hundreds in safety deposits. The swimsuit, filed by the Authorized Assist Society and Authorized Providers, additionally alleges there’s a gap within the roof of 1 constructing, blocked hearth exits, and a defective safety system, amongst different issues, that legally permit tenants to withhold hire.
“I grew up on this neighborhood my entire life. My childhood began proper right here on this identical constructing,” mentioned tenant Elizabeth Toyos. “My household and I work exhausting every day to pay our hire, which takes up nearly half of our checks. Discovering out that the owner has most likely stolen our hard-earned cash to revenue much more off our points isn’t proper. I’m right here with my neighbors to go on a hire strike.”
Anna-lisa Younger, who lives in constructing 112 along with her 4 kids, mentioned it’s exhausting to even cost her child’s bottle sanitizer due to allegedly bug-infested retailers.
Emerald Equities has had cash troubles for the previous few years and defaulted on a nine-figure mortgage, which affected the upkeep of some buildings they owned within the Bronx, reported the Actual Deal. The corporate additionally confronted foreclosures and chapter in 2020 throughout the pandemic.
“I’m unhappy that we’ve to be right here,” mentioned Williams on the protest. “What I’ve discovered significantly with the worst landlords is that it’s not about offering the service of housing, it’s about extracting as a lot cash as humanly doable regardless of what a tenant is experiencing, and that’s simply not proper.”
Williams’s workplace releases the Worst Landlord Watchlist yearly. On final 12 months’s listing, there have been a complete of 626 buildings that home a complete of 13,541 items. From November 2022 to October 2023, these buildings averaged 69,018 open Housing Preservation and Improvement (HPD) violations, in keeping with the watchlist.
“We gained’t see habits change till these buildings are both taken from these landlords or they’re arrested,” mentioned Williams, referring to the warrant put out for infamous Washington Heights landlord and watchlist common Daniel Ohebshalom in January 2023. The warrant, for New York and California, ordered Ohebshalom to be detained as much as 60 days until he addressed the just about 700 violations at 705 and 709 one hundred and seventieth Road in Manhattan. Circumstances included seen peeling lead paint, roach and mice infestations, insufficient electrical energy provide, and mildew.
A consultant for Comptroller Brad Lander’s workplace added that Kassirer’s agency has a median of 500 violations of their buildings. “Clearly, Emerald Equities has not been held accountable,” she mentioned.
Group Board 11 Chair Xavier A. Santiago, who’s operating for the 68th meeting district, mentioned that the state must create “tenable options” to fixing these buildings amid a housing disaster, and landlords must step up.
Ariama C. Lengthy is a Report for America corps member who writes about politics for the Amsterdam Information. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps maintain her writing tales like this one; please take into account making a tax-deductible present of any quantity at the moment by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.
