Photos from residents’ apartments show major problems with black mold, water damage and more.
Photos courtesy Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition.
Black mold, vermin infestations, water leaks, a broken front door lock and an elevator out of service since August 2023 — these are just some of the problems that have plagued tenants at 2201-05 Davidson Ave. in University Heights for years.
The Legal Aid Society’s Housing Justice Unit Group Advocacy on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the property owners to address these problems, which amount to almost 500 open violations with the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD).
“This egregious inaction has to end, and these owners must be forced to account for their years of neglect,” said Legal Aid Staff Attorney Russell Crane in a statement Tuesday.
Some long-neglected emergency repairs had to be completed with funding from HPD’s Emergency Repair Program — meaning that taxpayers footed the bill.
There are 49 rent-stabilized units at 2201-05 Davidson Ave., which is owned by are Romad Realty, LLC, 2201 Davidson NY Holdings LLC, David Kornitzer and Dov Guttman. The owners could not be reached for comment before press time.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of 25 tenants who also accuse the owners of what Crane called “harassment by negligence” — letting the building fall into disrepair, causing tenants to leave their highly coveted affordable rent-stabilized apartments.
In addition to the violations, the owners owe over $24M in back taxes to the city — and there is “little chance” of resolving that issue, Legal Aid Staff Attorneys Ben Seibel and Russell Crane told the Bronx Times on Tuesday.
The lawsuit calls not only for the building to be repaired but for the city to intervene and remove the current owners — either placing the building in the hands of a responsible nonprofit partner or enabling it to eventually become a…
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