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BRONX TIMES REPORTER,BTR AUG. 13-19, 2021 15
tax abatement program; the
owner had to prove the buildings
were substantially rehabilitated
to deregulate the
buildings and did not provide
receipts showing their work;
and the PLP fi nancing makes
the buildings permanently
rent stabilized regardless of
whether the J-51 program has
expired or not.
Ukegbu expressed her
frustrations to the Bronx
Times and added that landlords
often use these “tricks”
to take advantage of poor people
of color.
“I think this is a way landlords
try to get people out of
their homes,” she said. “It is
unacceptable to use these tactics.”
Among the tenants who
have had to deal with poor
living conditions are Julius
Bennett, 1230 Woodycrest
Ave. and Jen Llanos of 1187
Anderson Ave. Bennett, who
has lived in his apartment for
30 years, demanded Emerald
fi x the issues in the buildings.
He said one of the main
problems in his building is
the elevators often do not
work. And as a senior citizen,
who has trouble walking,
this makes life more than diffi
cult. Bennet told the Bronx
Times that if the rent is destabilized
many people will be
out on the street as they won’t
be able to afford to live there.
“They are ready to capitalize
on an agreement they
made 30 years ago when they
borrowed $300,000 to upgrade
the buildings,” he said about
Emerald, the management
company. “They have done
nothing except collect rent.”
Llanos, who has only
lived in her apartment for
two years, said things have
gotten worse the past few
months. There are holes in
the hallway and her apartment
is infested with mice,
rats, roaches and bed bugs.
In fact, she had to give her
cat to her mother and throw
out her couch because of the
rodent problem. Additionally,
her living room is fi lled
with trash bags containing
bed sheets, clothes and towels.
“Everything has to be in
bags because if we leave anything
out there will be lots
of spider mites,” she told the
Bronx Times.
The problems don’t end
there. Her 5-year-old son’s
bed has bed bugs and a rat
chewed through a big hole
in the wall, which she had to
cover with a metal plate.
“I call the super to come
fi x things and he’s always giving
me excuses,” she said.
During the peak of the
pandemic, Llanos and her
boyfriend were unemployed
and behind on rent. So, the
landlord showed up banging
loudly on the door for three
weeks asking for rent money.
Llanos told him she refused
to pay unless he repaired the
oven, which hasn’t worked
since March of 2020.
“I said I’m not going to
pay the rent until you fi x the
things that are wrong with
this apartment,” she said.
After vacuuming and
cleaning her apartment nonstop
every week, Llanos is
glad that she has recently
found a new home in Riverdale
and is planning on moving
soon.
“No matter how much I
try to keep things tidy, bugs
still fi nd ways to come in,”
she said.
Bed bug bites on Jen Llanos’ 5-year-old son. Photos courtesy Jen Llanos
A hole chewed through by a rat in Jen Llanos’ Highbridge apartment.
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