Williamsburg tenants go on rent strike over rat infestation, list of other concerns
Tenants of the Metropolitan Avenue building told News 12 on Wednesday that other issues range from a broken elevator to pooling in the basement to patching leaky ceilings.
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Tenants of a building in Williamsburg say they are on a rent strike due to a host of issues at their apartment.
“It’s very difficult to sleep with the beeping of the fire alarm, the pump of the boiler, as well as the rats in the walls,” said Chris Pulliam
Tenants of the Metropolitan Avenue building told News 12 on Wednesday that other issues range from a broken elevator to pooling in the basement to patching leaky ceilings.
“I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy,” said Pulliam.
According to HPD's website, the building has had 79 complaints within the past two years, including 16 open violations.
Data from the 311 website showed about 60 complaints this year alone.
The Department of Buildings says the site has two open violations.
Tenants are so frustrated that they posted signs on the outside of the building to let the neighborhood know there is a rat infestation and that the residents are on a rent strike.
Tenants said this is the third time that they’re coming together to not pay their rent.
“Every time we’ve had a rent strike, it isn’t new news to the management,” said Sharanya Venkataraman, a tenant. “They’ve been made aware of the issues.”
Tenants said it is a “constant battle” and want to see permanent fixes, not temporary repairs.
“This particular management company clearly does not act in good faith or does not care truly about the tenants,” said Venkataraman.
“All we’re asking for is habitable conditions,” said Pulliam.
The property owner, 924 Metropolitan Avenue Realty LLC, sent News 12 a statement: “We believe strongly in taking care of our tenants, and run a good, clean building. It is normal for things to go wrong in buildings. We take tenants' complaints extremely seriously and respond expeditiously above and beyond excellent normal maintenance.”
The statement continued, “The building elevator did have an issue and it was fixed promptly. The elevator is working smoothly. The fire alarm was also fixed. There is no flooding/pooling in the basement, to our knowledge. Unfortunately, we do have a rat issue and are working hard to resolve it. We have employed one of the best pest control specialist companies. They have done multiple treatments and have assured us that the problem is being taken care of but may take its due course. They have informed us that the adjacent construction site may be the source of the problem. We run a clean building. Once again, we want to have satisfied tenants and have always been responsive and are focused on resolving any open issues.”
