Tenants at a pair of Harlem apartment buildings are up in arms over their landlord, who they say is forcing them to live in dangerous conditions — and they're calling BCB out.
Residents of 3147 and 3149 Broadway insist that landlord BCB Property Management is gut-renovating apartments while neglecting basic repairs, in an attempt to harass them out of their homes and convert their apartments into luxury units.
"We haven't had gas in the building since September. It's ridiculous."
— David Hanzal, resident of 3149 Broadway for 10 years
Residents from both buildings report that passageways are littered with construction materials and debris.
"You can't even walk through the hallways. And there are workers mixing hazardous chemicals right out in the hall — the smell permeates the apartments."
— David Hanzal
Robert Sabin, a bassist who gives music lessons in his apartment at 3149 Broadway, said he was recently forced to cut a session short because a client was overwhelmed by chemical and paint fumes. "The person became ill because of the smell and had to leave," said Sabin.
The ceiling of Hanzal's neighbor, Erasmo Guerrero, has been collapsing due to damage from construction in the unit above. Guerrero, who has covered all of his furniture with plastic garbage bags to protect it from water damage, said he can no longer sleep in the apartment because of the dust. "I'm constantly sneezing and coughing," he said. Strips of tape are now being used by Guerrero to help keep his ceiling in place.
"You notice the dust as soon as you walk in the building. You can feel it."
— David Hanzal
Tenants rallied in front of the buildings in late January to call attention to their situation, and were joined by elected officials, who accused BCB of tormenting residents out of their homes so units could be converted to market rate.
"This predatory and unethical behavior is an affront to the basic human rights of all New Yorkers who deserve a safe home."
— Public Advocate Letitia James"This landlord is using construction as a weapon to harass tenants out of their homes. It's completely unacceptable, and I urge city and state agencies to hold BCB Property Management accountable and put an end to their abusive tactics."
— Councilmember Mark Levine"We cannot allow New York City to become a city just for luxury condos. This has to be a city for all New Yorkers."
— Public Advocate Letitia JamesHanzal said that nearly half of his building's 20 units have been under renovation since BCB purchased the property in November 2014. "It's basically a construction zone," Hanzal remarked.
BCB Property Management is owned by Debrah Lee Charatan, the estranged wife of real estate heir Robert Durst, who was at the time being prosecuted for murder in California.
At the Harlem rally, Councilmember Levine noted that BCB had employed the same tactics at other properties. In 2014, residents of BCB-owned 1059 Union Street in Crown Heights also complained that the company was driving out tenants with construction while neglecting crucial repairs.
Hanzal, who is President of the Manhattanville Tenants Association, said that HPD's Tenant Harassment Prevention Task Force had recently raided several other BCB-owned properties, including 3143 Broadway, 3147 Broadway, and 111 West 104th Street.
While BCB faced enforcement action, fellow tenant Sabin remained skeptical that the management company would change its ways.
"There's no reason for BCB to change — they're slapped with some fines, but it's the cost of doing business for them. They've been doing it for years, and it works for them."
— Robert Sabin, tenant at 3149 Broadway
Sabin also observed that city residents sometimes make it easy for abusive landlords to prevail: "I believe that the vast majority of tenants in New York City, when faced with that type of situation, they just move."
When contacted regarding the conditions in its Harlem properties, BCB Property Management declined to comment.