People in New York understand that many of the apartment buildings in the city are old and will need repair from time to time, but they expect the repairs to be made. They expect that if they pay rent on time the landlord will keep the building and their apartments in good repair. However, this does not always occur. This oftentimes leads to landlord-tenant disputes, since the tenants may not have any other options.

Recently, a landlord was named the worst in New York due to the fact that the landlord basically ignored tenants’ requests for repairs and let the building go into a terrible state. The tenants said that there was garbage piled up, the front door lock was broken and anyone could enter the building, including drug users, and multiple people stated that men would expose themselves to tenants. They also complained of rats, mice, water leaks, holes in the floors and many other problems.

Many believe that the landlord is simply trying to get the tenants to move out so they can renovate the buildings and charge much higher rent. The landlords have also been offering very low buyout offers. This type of activity is illegal and tenants of this building and others like it may have legal recourse. Landlords are required to make repairs, make sure doors lock and keep the building habitable. When they do not, the tenants can stop paying rent until the repairs are made or make the repairs on their own and deduct those costs from their rent, among other remedies.

Landlords in New York are ultimately trying to make money from renting their buildings and some will do anything to make extra money. This includes violating their tenants’ rights. However, if they do, the tenants do have legal options and can hold these landlords accountable.

Source: www.brownstoner.com, “Sunset Park tenants speak out after landlord is ranked worst in city for 2017,” Jaime DeJesus, Nov. 30, 2017