Flatbush tenants demand action after power outage, ongoing building issues
Residents of two apartment buildings in Crown Heights, and one in Flatbush, say they were left without power and heat for two days.
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Residents of two apartment buildings in Crown Heights, and one in Flatbush, say they were left without power and heat for two days after receiving notices that their landlord, Pinnacle LLC, had failed to pay Con Edison, listing thousands of dollars in unpaid utilities.
While electricity has since been restored, tenants say the outage is just one symptom of deeper, long-standing problems.
“I have to buy water bottles, because the water makes me sick,” said Wendy Mark, a senior resident. “There’s mold coming in behind the walls.”
Other tenants echoed her concerns, citing years of neglect and worsening conditions.
“There’s constant water damage. The ceiling is caving in,” said Aufa McKinney, who has lived in the building for 20 years. “It’s been a sharp decline. Tenants feel disrespected. Their units are in disrepair.”
Since Pinnacle LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, residents say maintenance requests have gone unanswered, leaving them to deal with collapsing ceilings, leaking pipes, infestations, and more.
“When we call for a repair, nobody shows up,” Mark said. “Nothing. What is going on with our life?”
Tenants are calling on the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) to intervene and hold the landlord accountable.
“These aren’t frivolous issues happening in our building,” McKinney said. “I want HPD to take this seriously.”
News 12 reached out to Pinnacle LLC but received no response. HPD said the power outage did not violate housing laws. HPD also told News 12 that there are no current payment issues with Con-ED and service is active.
However, the agency could explain the cause of the two-day outage or the notices indicating unpaid bills.
HPD did tell News 12 that bankruptcy had no effect on their ability to issue violations, and that residents should continue filing 311 complaints.
Residents say they’re tired of waiting and want answers, and action.
