Judge halts more than 300 eviction cases at Flatbush Gardens as tenants demand repairs and accountability
The ruling follows sustained organizing by United Tenants of Flatbush Gardens, the Flatbush Tenant Coalition and Brooklyn Legal Services’ Tenant Rights Coalition.
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Tenants at Flatbush Gardens won a major victory after a judge issued an eviction moratorium covering more than 300 open housing court cases, pausing proceedings against residents who say they have faced years of unsafe conditions, overbilling and harassment.
The ruling follows sustained organizing by United Tenants of Flatbush Gardens, the Flatbush Tenant Coalition and Brooklyn Legal Services’ Tenant Rights Coalition. The groups say the moratorium is a critical step in addressing what they describe as widespread mismanagement at the 59‑building complex, which contains roughly 2,500 rent‑stabilized apartments and houses about 7,000 low‑ to moderate‑income New Yorkers.
Tenants rallied this week, pointing to mold, collapsing ceilings, broken walls and rodent infestations as ongoing hazards.
“It’s nonstop mold repairs that need to be done, ceilings falling in, cracked walls, mice, roaches, rats,” said tenant organizer Danielle Shields, who says the tenants union now has over 2,000 members.
"That's 2,000 stories of people breathing mold, not having heat, kids without hot water that need to be addressed," she said.
Residents say they are not withholding rent and argue the landlords, David Bistricer and JJ Bistricer, filed eviction cases over charges tenants do not owe. Attorneys say many of the cases involve money already paid or covered by vouchers.
“This is money tenants had paid out of pocket, money that tenants’ vouchers have paid for them, and the money that the businesses receive from a Section 610 credit that tenants are never responsible for paying,” said Dana Klasky, staff attorney at the Brooklyn Legal Services Tenant Rights Coalition, adding they are also looking to establish a pattern of serving tenants with multiple suits from different parties, all relating to housing cases.
Advocates say the problems go far beyond individual cases. According to the release, the Bistricers have filed more than 975 eviction cases since signing a $191 million regulatory agreement in June 2023, which was intended to address more than 3,000 housing code violations while keeping tenants stably housed.
Tenant groups say many of the eviction filings contain serious irregularities, including default judgments against tenants who never received notice, cases seeking subsidy portions of rent that tenants are not responsible for, attempts to collect money from deceased tenants and filings submitted by parties not authorized to collect rent under the regulatory agreement.
With the moratorium in place, tenants say they want the landlord to shift focus from court actions to long‑overdue repairs.
“The pause is just the beginning. When we feel we live in safe and habitable housing, that is when we will be finished,” Shields said.
Tenant groups and elected officials plan to gather Friday to call on the Bistricers to meet with the tenant union and negotiate a comprehensive plan to address repairs, harassment allegations, security issues, accessibility needs, bookkeeping errors and communication failures. Their demands include restoring building services, fixing front doors and basement access, improving accessibility infrastructure, conducting full building assessments and ensuring accurate ledgers and consistent management office hours.
News 12 reached out to the owners of Flatbush Gardens but did not receive a response.
