Flatbush tenants say landlord has neglected multiple issues in Clarendon Road building
Samuel Francois, who lives on the third floor, told News 12 that he deals with issues including mold, holes and the ceiling collapsing.
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Tenants of 2802 Clarendon Road in Flatbush say their building has been suffering from years of neglect – a trend that started before COVID-19 when the management company J. Wasser took over.
Samuel Francois, who lives on the third floor, told News 12 that he deals with issues including mold, holes and the ceiling collapsing – things he says are "literal safety issues that we could actually die from."
Then on March 31, there was a fire in the building. Though nobody was hurt, the FDNY had to break some of the windows to subdue the flames. Over two months later, those still haven't been fixed.
Francois says it is especially concerning due to the number of elderly people who live in the building.
"You can pretty much break into the building from the front," he said.
The other major issue would be the trash, which residents say has been piling up in the courtyard, basement and alley around the corner for months without being picked up. As the weather gets warmer and people have their windows open – the smell is now a problem.
"There are days where we're stuck and the building just smells completely terrible," says Francois.
Residents say they've tried everything, from calling 311 to calling management to even withholding rent – but nothing has worked, and Francois says "sometimes it's dead silence."
News 12 also tried reaching out to J. Wasser but has not heard back.
The city's Office of Housing Preservation and Development shows 18 complaints and 28 violations on the building since the March fire. It says it will continue to follow up, and that maintenance is the responsibility of the ownership.
Francois says he just wants results.
"It gets depressing sometimes, like sometimes I feel like I'm just here just to lay my head, it doesn't feel very homey to me," he said.
Residents told News 12 that they're currently working on forming a tenant’s association so they can bring their issues to the city as a group.
