Queens tenants rally ahead of Housing Court hearing to demand repairs from real estate firm
Source: AMNY
Tenants from a residential building in a Queens neighborhood rallied outside the borough’s Housing Court Monday morning to highlight what they described as a lengthy pattern of neglect from A&E Real Estate ahead of the first hearing in a lawsuit filed against the landlord demanding repairs at the property.
Residents at 41-25 Case St. in Elmhurst have filed a lawsuit against A&E demanding that the company enact repairs at the building, which they allege faces hundreds of critical maintenance and safety issues, including persistent flooding and infestations.
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams named A&E’s associates Margaret Brunn and Donald Hastings as the worst landlords in the city in his annual rankings published earlier in the year, pointing to 331 open violations at the Case Street property and over 4,800 violations overall. At the time the lawsuit was filed, tenants said the number of violations at the Case Street building had risen to 372.
The lawsuit is filed against 41-25 Case Street, LLC, operated by Brunn and fellow A&E principal Brian Garland, as well as against the city’s Department of Housing, Preservation and Development (HPD) and the Department of Buildings. The lawsuit – a Housing Part action – was filed in April and calls on both A&E and the city to ensure that all “violations of housing standards” are corrected.
Neither A&E nor the city has responded to a request for comment from amNewYork.
Queens tenants ‘not immune’ to neglect experienced by others in settlement
Tenants noted in the lawsuit that A&E agreed a $2.1 million settlement with the Mamdani administration to address tenant harassment allegations and hazardous conditions at 14 separate buildings across Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn. They alleged that tenants at Case Street had “not been immune” to A&E’s “alarming neglect.”
Luis Acevedo, a tenant organizer who has lived at the Case Street building for around 30 years, said Monday morning that he first began noticing problems with the building in 2023, alleging that residents often go without heat in the winter and deal with persistent flooding, causing furniture to rot.
Tenants also outlined how they have faced persistent rodent infestations, broken security systems, elevator breakdowns and damage to walls and ceilings.
Residents have also alleged that drug paraphernalia is frequently littered throughout the property, forcing families with young children to step over it in order to enter their homes.
Acevedo alleged that the building’s super is rarely responsive to issues, stating that tenants have frequently had to pay out of their own pockets for repairs in their apartments.
“The super doesn’t want to do anything,” Acevedo said. “You call him, he ignores you.”
Prior to filing a lawsuit, tenants had written letters to A&E, called 311 to report violations and began rent reduction cases with the state’s Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR).
Tenants get support from local pols
Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas, who joined tenants at Monday’s rally, said tenants have been facing issues for several years and had done “everything they can” to address them before filing the lawsuit.
“They’ve exhausted all resources and the problems continue to persist,” González-Rojas said. “There are rats in kitchens, holes in the floor, mold. It’s disgusting and no individual should live under these conditions.”
González-Rojas noted that the Case Street development is located just outside her assembly district but said A&E have been reported at a number of properties across her district. González-Rojas is also campaigning for the 13th Senate District, which covers the Case Street property.
“They don’t deserve to be in business if they can’t take care of their units,” González-Rojas said. “So I’m standing in solidarity with the tenants to demand that A&E takes action.”
González-Rojas said it has been “difficult” to deal with A&E and added that she has told the company directly that it should stop buying buildings in the city if it finds it difficult to manage them.
“They need to be held accountable and I’m really proud of the tenants for stepping up,” González-Rojas said.
State Sen. Jessica Ramos, who represents the 13th Senate District and is running against González-Rojas in the Democratic primary later this month, was not present at the rally but shared a statement of support with organizers and called on A&E to resolve the issues as quickly as possible.
“Housing works best when tenants are heard, when property owners are responsive and these problems are addressed before they become a crisis,” Ramos said in a statement.
She said her office would continue to work on the issue so that families and residents can live with the “dignity and stability that they deserve.”
Tenant Amber Gill, meanwhile, blasted A&E for allegedly failing to respond to numerous reports of unsafe conditions in the building.
“I am fed up. A&E, if you are listening to this… would you want to have water leaking from your ceiling so that it looks like it’s raining?” Gill said..
Legal Services NYC and Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) are providing assistance and organizational support to the Case Street tenants for the lawsuit.
Mauricio Miraglia, an organizer with AAFE, said the organization has been working with tenants for about two years and said the lawsuit is about more than just repairs, adding that the case aims to spotlight A&E’s alleged neglect.
“There’s been vermin, leaking, a lack of heat in the winter. Everything you can imagine and nothing is being done to fix it,” Miraglia said.
Bianca Zarate-MacPherson, a senior staff attorney with the Tenant Rights Coalition of Legal Services NYC’s Queens office, said the lawsuit is about “sending a message” that landlords cannot be allowed to let violations “pile up year after year with no consequences.”
