Closing Bell: Admin Takes Over Building From Landlord Who Allegedly Destroyed It
In a rare decision, a Brooklyn Housing Court judge has barred landlord Joel Israel from his own building and appointed an administrator to repair and manage it. The building at 300 Nassau Avenue in Greenpoint has been in the headlines since the rent-regulated tenants were forced out in December 2013 because the landlord destroyed their…
In a rare decision, a Brooklyn Housing Court judge has barred landlord Joel Israel from his own building and appointed an administrator to repair and manage it. The building at 300 Nassau Avenue in Greenpoint has been in the headlines since the rent-regulated tenants were forced out in December 2013 because the landlord destroyed their apartments, water lines, gas lines, and hot water heaters, according to a press release from the tenants’ laywers. Tenants will return when the building is fixed.
The same landlord also owns 98 Linden Street in Bushwick, where he allegedly destroyed kitchens and baths in two rent-regulated apartments, as we’ve reported previously. He’s also been accused of destroying his building at 324 Central Avenue in Bushwick and other properties in Brooklyn.
Landlords Destroy Their Own Buildings to Push out Rent Regulated Tenants [Brownstoner]
Tenants: Bushwick Landlord Tears out Kitchens, Bathrooms to Get Tenants to Move [Brownstoner]
Photo by Christopher Bride for PropertyShark
This is wonderful news. As the incentive for scumbag landlords to terrorize residents grows, it’s critical to set good precedent.
I have mixed feelings about this. While I generally believe that people should be able to do what they want with their properties, and am even generally against adverse possession as its often practiced, I can’t be too much against someone who takes these drastic measures to get lawful tenants to move.