NEW CITY – Rockland County has levied a $223,000 fine on Schloima Koppel, for code violations in a Spring Valley home he owns. He is the same man who owns the New City flophouse discovered last week housing 31 people in a single-family home.
His Spring Valley property, at West Funston Street, was cited with 32 violations. The inspection uncovered eight bedrooms and 16 beds in what should be a three-bedroom home.
Inspectors are still trying to determine how many people are living in the property. The inspection found three people sharing one of the beds in the house.
In addition to the overcrowding, violations found include blocked egresses, electrical hazards, illegal conversions, and missing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
The landlord has 30 days to remedy and request reinspection.
“Illegal housing is becoming a major problem in this county,” said County Executive Ed Day. “The sad reality is enforcement is only a band-aid and not solving the true cause of this issue that is getting increasingly worse if our state and federal elected officials continue to ignore the tens of thousands of migrants being moved across the country illegally, into properties nor complying with safety standards.”
Read the full article here