Bed-Stuy woman stuck with hole in kitchen ceiling, broken floors in her home despite calls to landlord
The tenant said a part of the kitchen ceiling collapsed from a rainstorm.
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Several calls but no fixes -- that is what Maribel Diaz says she deals with in her home as a gaping hole in her kitchen ceiling and wooden floorboards protruding upward in her living room can be seen.
"This could open up, and I could fall down there," Diaz said, exclusively to News 12. "It's not safe at all."
Diaz dealt with these problems since August. She said a part of the kitchen ceiling collapsed from a rainstorm. A video she shared shows firefighters examining the hole as water leaked out.
"My son was getting ready to go work that day," Diaz said.
Diaz said that led to water seeping under the floor, pushing up the narrow wooden boards.
"I've tripped myself, my son has tripped, my boyfriend has tripped," Diaz said, "People who come in, I have to tell them to be careful."
She reported the issues the landlord, as well as to the city's Housing, Preservation, and Development agency. Violations were issued from the city for repairs to be made. Diaz said that has not happened and also the landlord did not show up to court last week.
"I went to court, they didn't show up," Diaz said. Asked why she thinks they did not appear, she said, "Because of the matter. They're scared."
Diaz attempted to call the landlord on her phone three times with the phone number that she had. It rang and went to voicemail during all the attempts.
She used someone else's phone, dial the same number and immediately got an answer. The phone number was not to the specific person she was told would be the landlord, but instead to a nonprofit organization. She explained the matter and was transferred to someone else who was unavailable.
"That's all. That's all I get," Diaz said.
With no answers or precise dates as to when repairs will be made, she said she hopes the repairs can be made soon.
"I want to -- either they put me in a better home where everyone else is living," Diaz said, "or to fix my apartment."
News 12 reached out to the landlord via email and the phone number Diaz called and did not receive a response. News 12 also reached out to HPD who provided the following statement:
"HPD is dedicated to ensuring that every tenant has a safe and comfortable place to call home. The recent storm has worsened many of the ongoing issues in this building, and as a result, we are fully prepared to inspect the units, issue violations, and carry out emergency repairs when necessary. "
