Tenants of an apartment building located in the neighborhood of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY, have sued their landlord due to alleged negligence, which has left the building nearly uninhabitable. Residents have leveled a number of complaints, including failures to address hazardous conditions or maintain basic utilities. The Tenants Association is hoping the city will intervene and take over management of the building to begin addressing some of these problems.
Alleged Negligent Management From the Landlord
The lawsuit against the owner of the building has alleged a shocking array of horrific conditions, including mold, pests, and a lack of functional heating. Residents have also reported the presence of raw sewage, as well as issues with intruders due to a broken lock on the front door. Additionally, the elevator in the building has reportedly been out for months, trapping elderly residents who cannot safely use the stairs.
A Failure to Address Bad Conditions
Part of the reason for filing the lawsuit is that the landlord seems to have ignored most of these complaints, promising to fix the problems, but mostly leaving tenants to languish. As a result, the landlord for the building, has managed to accrue 396 separate housing violations. The lawsuit seeks to hold the landlord accountable for these problems, and to get them addressed as soon as possible.
The Legal Responsibilities of Landlords
Under New York law, landlords have a legal responsibility to ensure that the conditions in their buildings are safe and comfortable for people to inhabit. This is known as the warranty of habitability, and it includes doing things like repairing broken utilities, calling an exterminator to deal with pests, and performing regular maintenance to avoid dangerous conditions. When landlords fail to address these conditions, it may lead to what is known as a constructive eviction, where a tenant is effectively forced out of their home due to inhospitable conditions.
What The Lawsuit is Meant to Do
A major part of the reason for the lawsuit is to try to get these dangerous conditions addressed, either by forcing the landlord to take action, or by getting the city to seize the building from their control. They may also seek compensation for the harm they suffered due to the poor conditions they have been forced to suffer through. Ultimately, however, it could be months or years before all the legal issues are sorted out.
If you are in a dispute with your landlord and want to know more about protecting yourself, do not wait until it is too late. You should seek advice from an attorney experienced in handling landlord-tenant disputes, who can advise you on your rights and help you avoid the risk of eviction. Contact the skilled landlord-tenant attorneys at Hobson-Williams, P.C. Contact us online, toll-free (866) 825-1529 or (718) 210-4744 to discuss your rights and the solutions available to you.
