an agent in the field caught this one. been a while since we caught up with cove & john george
Residents of 90-36 149th St., which is owned by Zara Realty Holding Corp., said their rent shot up thousands of dollars this year after the state approved a hike for rent-stabilized tenants.
It was granted because Zara claimed to have installed a new roof and repaired the building’s brick exterior. But landlords are only allowed to raise rents 6% annually for rent-stabilized tenants, according to the tenants’ lawyers — not ask for one bulk payment.
Queens Tenants Tell Abusive Landlord: No More Illegal Displacements!
A group of 46 Queens tenants from a large apartment residence in
Jamaica have filed a joint lawsuit in Supreme Court, Queens County, against their landlords, alleging
repeated and systemic violations of the New York Rent Stabilization Law, Consumer Protection Act, and
NYC Tenant Protection Act designed to effectively force them from their homes to make way for higherincome
tenants. The plaintiffs are represented by the Catholic Migration Office and Queens Legal
Services (a program of Legal Services NYC).
These current and former tenants of 90-36 149th Street are largely low-income, hard-working Latino
immigrants, many of whom are elderly. For more than 10 years, they have endured a barrage of unlawful
rent increases and illegal charges, all the while struggling to have the landlord conduct basic repairs.
Tenants who have been forced out of the building have seen their apartments immediately renovated and
marketed to other consumers as “luxury rentals.”
According to the 149th Street tenants’ complaint, the defendant landlords, Jamaica Seven LLC and Zara
Realty, have engaged in a pattern of fraudulent and harassing tactics such as threats of eviction and
improper rent demands; disturbing tenants to gain access to their apartments without prior notice or valid
reason; and a host of illegal or excessive fees charged as additional rent, including air conditioning
charges and legal fees. The 149th Street tenants have lived with vermin, a leaking roof, mold, rotting
cabinets, cracked floors, broken locks, missing or broken appliances, and inadequate heat in the cold
winter months. Even when efforts have been made to meet basic health and safety standards, the
defendants have often had the audacity to pass the cost on to the tenants; for example, charging residents
for the replacement of windows broken by the defendants’ own employees
“The harassment and illegal practices of this landlord represent a serious threat to the preservation of
affordable housing in New York City. By filing this lawsuit and standing up to their abusive landlord,
these tenants have a taken a courageous step not only to protect their rights but to draw attention to a
much larger problem,” said Robert McCreanor of the Catholic Migration Office. “Unfortunately, it is all
too common for recent immigrants and other vulnerable peoples to suffer from illegal and abusive
practices such as these. The Catholic Migration Office stands with these low-income tenants and others
whose human dignity demands fairness and justice in housing.”
149th Street tenant Nelson Lopez adds, “A lot of people are moving out of the building. Some people just
can’t pay the rent because [the landlord] keeps raising the rent and he isn’t giving these people a chance…I
don’t like the way this guy is treating us, the tenants. He doesn’t talk to people nicely, and he harasses us.
He is trying to get money from us that he doesn’t deserve. He claims that he is making repairs but he isn’t
fixing anything!”
Fellow 149th Street tenant Douglas Brooks notes, “It’s always something with this landlord. Every week,
tenants are being harassed. Since this landlord bought the building, the rent bills have more and more
charges, adding something on to our rent every month. He’s been really unfair to everybody…lots of
tenants are moving out because of the harassment.”
Queens Legal Services Housing Rights Project Director Ann Ascher states, “The landlords in this case
have extensive real estate holdings across Queens and Nassau counties, and the harassment suffered by
our clients is likely being experienced by tenants in numerous different apartment buildings they own and
manage. Their business model requires that, in order to make a profit, they must violate our tenant
protection laws by effectively forcing low-income people out of their homes. These tenants are taking
action not only to defend their own rights but to send a message that such actions cannot and will not be
tolerated.”
http://www.legalservicesnyc.org/storage/lsny/PDFs/queens%20tenant%20harassment%20suit%20press%20release%2012-20-2011.pdf
Tenants complain all the time because they just don’t want to pay rent. They destroy or break something in the apartment they. Feel they don’t have to pay have it repaired. They expect everything for free even the roof over their heads. They don’t want to acknowledge that it costs to keep them sheltered and housed. This is a constant gripe with tenants everywhere.
Tenants in one apartment complex in Jamaica have filed suit against their landlord, alleging unfair and repeated rent increases and a laundry list of basic repairs left disregarded.
“A lot of people are moving out of the building,” said Nelson Lopez, a tenant in the complex located at 90-36 149th Street. “Some people just can’t pay the rent because the landlord keeps raising it.”
Among the host of complaints, tenants say they live with vermin, leaky roofs, mold, rotting cabinets, cracked floors, broken locks and inadequate heat.
a real scampman