Residents of a Bronx building demonstrate alongside elected officials and tenant advocacy organizations against their landlords.
Tenants complain of deterioration in their apartments, as well as failures in basic services.
Protesters gathered in front of 480 East 188th Street in the Belmont section to ask the court to require owners Karan Singh and Sean Campbell to address the building’s more than 500 open violations. Many of these violations were supposed to be addressed within 24 hours due to their severity, but remain pending.
They also say that the elevators in the building, which has 16 floors, are not working, making it difficult for elderly tenants and residents with medical emergencies to get around.
They say that when they have had repairs made to their apartments, the owners want to charge them.
“When I moved in I saw that the apartment had not been renovated at all, the kitchen was in terrible condition, all the cabinets were dirty and old, and there was a huge infestation of cockroaches. The most regrettable thing is that, in order for them to be able to do something, they almost always take the attitude of wanting to charge, apart from the fact that we pay our rent,” said tenant Soledad Arias.
Residents of the building filed a lawsuit against the owners in November last year, seeking to force them to resolve the outstanding violations. However, the defendants have not complied with the court orders.
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