Legal Aid Society files lawsuit against Bronx landlord asking judge to order immediate repairs
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The Legal Aid Society is taking action against a Bronx landlord that has been highlighted in a 7 On Your Side Investigation.
Attorneys filed a lawsuit in Bronx Housing Court this week asking a judge to order immediate repairs to two apartment buildings located at 530 and 540 East 169th Street.
The buildings have more than 600 open violations.
7 On Your Side first reported on the problems in February. Dozens of tenants have been complaining for months about everything from cracks in the facade, to rodents, to elevators in disrepair to a lack of heat and hot water.
"Every night you're going to sleep, hoping your building doesn't collapse," said one tenant.
The lawsuit against Fordham Fulton Realty and its managers claims the building has been "neglected" which has led to "severe" living conditions.
"These are very severe living conditions, especially for a building of this size," said Zoe Kheyman, a staff attorney with the Legal Aid Society.
"I'm sure the landlord is taking warm showers at home while my clients are taking buckets of water, pots and pans full of water from the stove to their bathrooms to shower," said Kheyman. "This should not be happening, this is not normal."
The lawsuit includes more than 30 pages of problems the attorneys want repaired.
7 On your Side tried reaching out to the owner and manager repeatedly in person, by phone and email and have received no response.
The city's Department of Buildings has said the landlord owes tens of thousands of dollars in violations. The city said in February it was working to try to get a Marshal involved to collect the money.
RELATED | New York City taking new 'drastic' steps to get landlords to fix violations
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