The 28 families living in the four-story apartment building on Webster Avenue say they've been failed not once, but twice.
"The receiver was appointed specifically to maintain the building responsibly until the building is sold to a new owner. But unfortunately for the tenants here, they've just been transferred from one irresponsible landlord to another," Sean Connolly of Bronx Legal Services said.
The building went into foreclosure two years ago, when tenants say it was already poorly maintained, but the lack of maintenance is still a problem.
The occupants organized and held a rally on Thursday morning.
"As of today, tenants have sent a formal demand letter to the receiver, calling for an immediate meeting to address the building's serious deficiencies," tenant Angelette Waring said.
The biggest deficiency in this historically cold winter is no gas service.
Waring has had to buy space heaters for every room in her apartment and cook using a hot plate.
And she says the floor is uneven and there are numerous cracks in the ceiling and walls.
"I want people to know that this is unacceptable in New York, the biggest city in the world, that we have all of this money and we're living like hobbits," Waring said.
The lack of gas service is also affecting business in the building, as a beauty salon has had to use a portable gas generator.
A family-owned restaurant spent $12,000 to convert from gas power to electric power to save its business.
"I have two demands. I want to be compensated, and if I'm not compensated, I would like for the building to turn into a co-op," restaurant owner Dyren Doran said.
Eyewitness News reached out to the receiver, JPL Management, who said they can't make any repairs because the tenants are withholding rent.
We also reached out to the New York City Housing Preservation and Development, and they said they are now escalating enforcement to hold the landlord accountable and force the correction of these serious conditions.
----------
* More Bronx news
* Send us a news tip
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
* Follow us on YouTube