Harlem tenants voice frustration over prolonged elevator outage in apartment building
HARLEM, Manhattan (WABC) -- A Harlem tenant says she has been unable to access her fifth-floor apartment because the building's only elevator has been out of service since September, prompting her to withhold rent and sparking complaints from other residents.
Linda Crowell, 68, said the broken elevator at 220 Bradhurst has made it impossible for her to reach her apartment. Crowell, who uses a walker because of joint problems, has lived in the building with her husband for 25 years.
"I feel like, a homeless person just going from place to place and, you know, I got a place to live and can't get to it," Crowell said.
Crowell, a retired NYPD clerk, said she repeatedly filed 311 complaints and contacted the building's management company, but saw no change. She then decided to stop paying her $1,060 monthly rent.
Under state law, landlords are required to maintain habitability in residential buildings, but they may also sue tenants who withhold rent. Crowell said that is what happened in her case.
"I'm not receiving the service that I'm supposed to have. So, if they don't fix the elevator, they can forget about my rent. And I'm staying strong now in that period," she said.
A notice posted by Wave Crest Management on the elevator acknowledges the disruption and states that "we are currently waiting for ownership to secure necessary funding."
Other tenants said they are frustrated by the prolonged outage.
"I got surgery in my back, so to go up and down the stairs is very uncomfortable," tenant Jose Polanco said. "We should live like humans, and the elevator should have been fixed a long time ago."
"I've reached out to the management. I've reached out to the elevator department... New York City. Anybody who can help, we've reached out to them," tenant Miosoti Valazquez said.
Records from the city's Department of Buildings show nine pages of elevator-related complaints at the building dating to 2009.
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On July 31, the Department of Buildings issued a summons to the owner, Northern Manhattan Equities, stating that "the building's only elevator was found out of service and has remained inoperative for several months."
The standard penalty is $6,250.
The owner had not responded to Eyewitness News' requests for comment regarding allegations of neglect as of Tuesday.
A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 8.
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