Tenants at Flatbush building demand emergency inspection amid fears over structural safety
Residents say conditions inside apartments continue to deteriorate, from apartments with seniors who lack fridges to broken stoves and extensive water damage.
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Tenants at 75 Lenox Road are calling on the city to conduct an emergency inspection of their building, saying years of neglect have left them fearing for their safety and questioning whether the structure remains safe to occupy.
Residents point to deteriorating support beams in the basement that they say are crumbling and have been propped up with plywood. Concerns about the building's condition prompted a walkthrough in May involving representatives from the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the Department of Buildings and local elected officials.
"When the trucks go past, sometimes you feel the building shaking," tenant Franklin Waldron said. "You can tell something not good with the building."
Tenants say little has changed since that inspection. According to residents, the only noticeable difference has been a lock placed on the door leading to the basement area where the structural concerns exist.
Meanwhile, residents say conditions inside apartments continue to deteriorate, from apartments with seniors who lack fridges to broken stoves and extensive water damage.
Angelina Bow, who lives on the ground floor, directly above the trouble basement, says she has significant structural damage. She described worsening problems inside her unit.
"I'm above that wall that's sagging with the missing concrete," Bow said. "My walls are crumbling down. I have moisture, I have mold, cracks everywhere."
Tenants are hopeful the property could qualify for the city's Block by Block initiative, which targets distressed buildings and negligent landlords. Earlier this year, residents noted the building appeared on both the notorious property owners list and a brand-new list for 2026 that charted record numbers of falsified repairs.
For now, however, tenants say their primary concern is determining whether the building is safe for residents to continue living there.
"We just want to live, just want to live with dignity," Bow said. "We are calling for a roof-to-cellar inspection to find out what are these conditions we don't even get to see."
News 12 reached out to Housing Preservation and Development and the Department of Buildings and is waiting to hear back.
