City building inspectors kicked the residents of 10 apartments out of the illegally converted warehouse they called home on Tuesday in a sudden move that followed years of inaction.
A former resident of 249 Norman Ave. and mother to small children said she has no place to go, and that the eviction came as a total surprise.
“I am lacking the words in my English,” said tenant Joanna Lewczuk, who lives with her husband and two toddlers and has been there since 2010. “I am a total mess right now.”
City officials confirmed that it kicked the tenants out for their own safety, because the building has no fire escape or second exit. Buildings department spokesman Alexander Schnell said the tenants can move back in once the landlord fixes the issue. But it appears that the landlord, United Realty Corporation, has no intention of doing so.
An e-mail purporting to be from a United Realty employee named Lee Yam, provided by Lewczuk, reads:
“I’m sure you are aware of the notice to vacate issued yesterday by the building department. Unfortunately, this will be the final decision made and we are unable to override this decision. We sincerely apologize for the unexpected announcement. This has become a major inconvenience and lost on both ends.
“Please be advised to move out everything by today. We will return your security deposit accordingly.”
Lewczuk said that the buildings department assured her that tenants have a week to remove their things, not a day.
She added that she had no idea until Feb. 10, the day of the eviction, that the apartments were illegal.
“I called the city years ago to complain about carbon monoxide and rats, and no one ever showed up,” said Lewczuk. “You would think they would have noticed if they did that there were no certificates of occupancy here.”
Department of Buildings records show that a caller alerted the city to the illegal conversion in October, 2010, but it is not clear whether inspectors went into the building and investigated at that time. The city issued a stop-work order on construction and issued three violations in 2011, but did not force any tenants to leave.
Lewczuk said she knew her property manager only as “Nigel,” and that tenants sent checks made out to United Realty to Master Kitchen Supplies, a stainless steel business in Manhattan’s Chinatown section.
United Realty did not return calls for comment.
Lewczuk said that a friend offered to put her and her children up for a few days, and that her husband is staying with his brother. But beyond that, she does not know where she and her family will go.
The eviction came the same day that police arrested 49 of 50 building inspectors, landlords, property managers, and contractors on a slew of bribery charges, including allegations that a Brooklyn building inspector evicted tenants under the false pretenses of a city vacate order, at landlords’ behest, erased building violations, and created records of building inspections that never happened.
