A housing-court judge has snatched a Greenpoint building from its delinquent managers more than a year after the city forced their tenants out on the street when their utilities were rendered inoperable, intentionally, according to the tenants.
The jurist appointed an independent administrator to oversee repairs to the rent-stabilized row-house at 300 Nassau Ave. on Monday, but getting it move-in ready could take another six to nine months. Still, the former, and possibly future tenants are excited at the prospect of returning home.
“I started crying when I found out. It was such a relief,” said Catalina Hidalgo, who had lived in the building for 10 years. “I might not get in there until close to Christmas, but if so, it will be a great Christmas present.”
The victory for Hidalgo and her 14 neighbors followed long months of telling anyone who would listen that the ax taken to their boiler, thermostat, and electrical system was an act of sabotage meant to drive them out and bring in higher-paying renters. Long-simmering tensions with property managers Joel and Aaron Israel came to a head on Dec. 15, 2013 when someone broke into the building overnight and chopped the utilities. When the tenants called the buildings department to complain, inspectors declared the building unsafe to live in and kicked them out, pending repairs. The Israels denied ordering the hatchet job.
The ruling only affects 300 Nassau, and not any of the other troubled Israel properties, such the one on Linden Avenue in Bushwick where contractors ripped out the floor of an entire room, leaving a gaping hole to the basement.
The Israels manage the properties, but the identities of the buildings’ actual owners are obscured behind limited-liability corporations. A spokesman for the pair has denied they own the buildings.
In the Linden Avenue case, a judge has ordered the Israels to repair the hole.
But the attorney for the Greenpoint tenants said he hopes that the tenant-brought cases get the state to throw the book at the Israels.
“This is another indication that this landlord is a huge problem,” Meyers said. “Hopefully, someone will bring bigger charges against them.”
The Israels did not respond to a request for comment, but in late December, 2014, their lawyer denied the sabotage and blamed the delays on the pace of housing court.
“The Israels have been committed from the beginning to making the necessary repairs as quickly and safely as possible, but repairs cannot be made until they are approved by the court,” said Glenn Spiegel, attorney for JBI Management, the Israels’ property management company. “The Israels certainly have never vandalized their own buildings, nor have they ever engaged in an effort to force out rent-stabilized tenants.”
