Tenants at a Williamsburg apartment building say they’ve endured dangerous and deteriorating living conditions for years, and they’ve had enough.
Residents at 156 South 9th St. are calling out their landlord, saying he ignores critical repairs, including a collapsed ceiling, broken steps and
a gas outage that’s lasted nearly a year.
“This could have killed my mother,” said Mariana Lopez, a longtime tenant, whose family reported that the ceiling in her mother’s unit came crashing down earlier this month.
Tenants say repairs only began after Lopez threatened legal action.
Victor Mendez, another tenant, described the building as crumbling.
“We need help here,” Mendez said. “This building is coming down, and one day, they’re not going to find this building and no people.”
Tenant attorney Daisy Fernandez says the landlord has refused to fix basic issues, like gas lines and functioning doors.
She also noted the city has already spent more than $400,000 on repairs and it still hasn’t been enough.
The city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development confirms the building is in its Alternative Enforcement Program, which targets landlords who fail to provide safe living conditions.
Records show more than 400 open city violations at the property.
A court hearing is scheduled for next week.
Tenants are hoping it leads to stronger enforcement or possibly even taking the building out of the landlord’s hands.