7 On Your Side gets Bronx man's security deposit back after 4-year wait
BRONX (WABC) -- A Bronx man moved out of his apartment four years ago and all this time he's been waiting for a $7,000 security deposit from the building's management company.
When he didn't get it he went to 7 On Your Side.
Edwin Martinez is trying to enjoy his retirement from New York's Finest after serving as a patrolman in the 23rd and 25th precincts.
"What did you like about being a police officer?" Nina Pineda asked.
"To serve the community because I grew up in Harlem myself," Martinez said.
"So you retired 23 years ago, right before 9/11, you must have lost some friends," Pineda said.
"I did, I did lose some friends," he said.
When he left the NYPD, he went to work as a guard at the stock exchange.
Martinez sold his co-op shares in Castle Hill at a complex and moved to the Upper West Side.
Before he left the Bronx apartment, Martinez and his property manager walked through the unit with him, gave him a condition report, and both parties took video of the apartment room to room.
"This was my bedroom, this is my bathroom, nothing wrong with the tiles, this my closet," he said.
"So you're expecting your full deposit back which was how much?" Pineda asked.
"$12,600," he said.
After moving out, Martinez got slapped with a bill, the building wanted to keep $8,000 for damages. They say he cracked the tub, damaged the walls, door, and more.
"What type of condition did you leave the apartment?" Pineda asked.
"In better condition than I got it," Martinez said.
He took them to small claims court and won a judgment for more than $7,000 for his deposit. Four years after moving, he's still waiting for that check.
"They give me the runaround," he said.
Even though Jaime Towers sent a lawyer to small claims court in 2022, Martinez prevailed, winning a judgment for his deposit plus interest.
But so far, he hasn't seen a dime of his deposit.
"So where has that been this whole time?" Pineda asked.
"They have it, they didn't give it to me," Martinez said.
The management company changed hands four times since he moved out, but once 7 On Your Side contacted the new property managers, they cut him a check for the full amount of his old deposit.
"It was over $8,000 and we were happy to get that check quickly to him expedited and resolved," said Frank Fish, management company representative.
"I know you weren't here when it happened, but I know Mr. Martinez was really happy since he's been waiting four years," Pineda said.
"We are happy to resolve things, resolve that money, especially after a time period like that," Fish said.
Martinez didn't waste any time. He took his wife and grandson on a cruise.
"You helped me get the money that I really, really needed. It took five years, but with your help it only took 72 hours," Martinez said.
$8,150 was FedExed overnight.
"7 On Your Side was the best," he said. "Oh my God, you are a godsend, really."
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