A Brooklyn man says he is the victim of harassment by his landlord who is trying to force him from his rent-stabilized apartment where he has lived for 20 years.
Francis Roberts said that his landlord was trying to force him out of the building because of the garbage and chickens on the property.
Roberts refused the previous owner's offer to buy him out of his lease. The former tenant of the building told the New York Times that she accepted $150,000 to leave the building.
The building, which was built in 1903, has not had heat since the new owners took over, according to Roberts. He said a green liquid is leaking through the ceiling of his basement apartment, and that loud music can be heard from the upstairs apartment all day long.
He claims that his landlord and tenant are to blame for the poor conditions. Roberts believes that the new tenant was brought in to intimidate him. Roberts claims that Gruenberg wants him out of the unit so that he can raise the rent and bring in higher paying tenants.
Julius Toonkel denied allegations of harassment. A "hoarding problem" prevented the landlord from gaining access to Roberts' apartment. Roberts has previously refused to allow repairmen access to his apartment, according to the attorney. The chickens were not addressed near Roberts' apartment.
Roberts refused the offer of a brand new apartment to stay in during repairs.
Roberts lives in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, where the median monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment is $3,000. Crown Heights has seen a steep decline in its Black population over the course of the last fifteen years. Rents began to go up as wealthier people moved to Brooklyn.
—CHTU #CancelRent (@CHTenantUnion) November 20, 2022
The rent is regulated by New York City rent-stabilization laws. Limits are placed on how much a property owner can raise rent. According to New York's Homes and Community Renewal agency, the law doesn't allow a landlord to evict a tenant just because they want to make more money.
Roberts told Legal Services NYC that he was concerned about the state of the building. He told the Times that the property was sold to a new owner before any repairs were made.
The Tenants Rights Coalition is assisting Roberts in his lawsuit against the building owner and Legal Services NYC published photos of what it claimed was his building. Chickens are roaming the property and port-a-potties were placed just outside Roberts' door.
Roberts claims that the garbage and livestock are owned by the tenants who started living in the building earlier this year. This is not a good thing. Roberts' legal team didn't reply to a request for comment.
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