Clinton Hill residents seek help from landlord after burst pipe floods apartment building
Residents of 241 Taaffe Place described scenes that felt more like a storm than a plumbing failure as water flooded hallways, stairwells, and apartments throughout the building.
More Stories
Tenants at a Clinton Hill apartment building say a burst pipe sent water pouring through multiple floors for nearly eight hours on Sunday, leaving dozens of residents dealing with extensive damage and concerns about their health and safety.
Residents of 241 Taaffe Place described scenes that felt more like a storm than a plumbing failure as water flooded hallways, stairwells, and apartments throughout the building.
"It first started pouring under the door," said resident Suzanne O'Connor. "I peeked out in the hallway, and that's when I saw that the stairwell looked like a waterfall."
Ana Paula Cervera said the flooding escalated quickly.
"Just like a movie," she said. "It started raining down all over the apartment. He opened the door and water like a river started flowing."
Armed with mops, buckets, towels, brooms and anything else they could find, tenants tried to contain the floodwater as it spread through the building.
"There was well over six inches of rust-colored water in at least 20 different containers," O'Connor said.
Days later, residents say the damage remains visible throughout the property. Water stains cover walls and ceilings, paint is peeling, floors are buckling, and many personal belongings have been ruined.
For some tenants, the biggest concern is no longer property damage but whether the building is safe to live in.
"We haven't slept here since Sunday," Cervera said. "We can't because it's toxic. I don't have an apartment anymore. The floors were flooded. You can smell it in the air and in the hallways. It's not livable."
O'Connor echoed those concerns, particularly for vulnerable residents.
"More than property damage, it's about the health conditions right now," she said. "I have a daughter with asthma and an immunocompromised blood disorder. We don't know how this is affecting her, and we don't have any reading on what the air quality is."
In a statement, the building's ownership said it is working to address the situation while the cause of the incident is investigated.
“Ownership is taking every step to rectify and remediate the recent water incident while our insurance company investigates the exact cause. Our complete focus remains on a swift cleanup, fully restoring the affected units, and supporting our residents during this process, including a one-month rent credit," the statement read.
Despite that commitment, several tenants said they would like more communication from management as repairs move forward.
Some tenants say the burst pipe is the latest in a series of plumbing issues they've experienced in the building.
"They're constantly having to turn the water off for days to fix it," O'Connor said. "There have been water pipes spouting in the basement by the laundry room before, and it was dirty black, filthy water. Some of that was happening the day before the pipe actually burst."
She added that plumbing inside her apartment has required repeated repairs.
"Our sink pipes were rotted through, and they've had to replace them twice now. It's just a lot of old plumbing," said O'Connor.
While landlords are generally responsible for repairing building damage, incidents like this highlight the importance of renters' insurance, which may help cover damaged personal belongings and temporary living expenses when apartments become uninhabitable.
