The 234 Apartment

T wo weeks ago, a Manhattan Supreme Court judge handed down a decision designed to strike fear in the hearts of landlords. Justice James d’Auguste ordered that an independent receiver be appointed to manage two Midtown residential buildings where the landlords allegedly allowed illegal Airbnb rentals to occur. The case, which began when the city sued the landlords in February 2015, has become one of the battlegrounds in a larger war between city enforcement agencies and short- term rental sites like Airbnb. Airbnb, which was recently valued at $31 billion, refuses to release the exact addresses of hosts who break the law by renting their entire apartment for less than 30 days without being present. Without the addresses and names of Airbnb violators , the city mostly targets the owners of buildings that rack up the most illegal hotel complaints from 311 calls and the New York City Department of Buildings. “This entire model—and it was intentional [by the city]—is complaint-drive...

UPDATE JULY 17: Management of an apartment complex dealing with on-again, off-again water issues is finally providing an explanation.  Water at the Sandpiper Apartment complex was shut off from Friday morning to Sunday morning .  Sunday water was flowing again, but by Monday morning tenants told 13 Action News it was back off.  "People can't shower. People can't wash dishes," said tenant Brittany Albright .  13 Action News reached out to management Saturday and Sunday and received no response.  On Monday, a manager who would not give his name said over the weekend water was shut down for scheduled repairs. He said a pipe then burst unexpectedly Monday .  13 Action News obtained a copy of an email management sent to tenants which reads in part: "We realize this is is[sic] frustrating for everyone, and Management will compensate residents in some way."  The manager could not elaborate on how they plan to do that.  Lauren Pena with the Legal Aid Center ...

By Andrea.Goodell@HollandSentinel.com(616) 546-4275 It seems a bed bug infestation at low- income senior apartments came to drastic measures last week when maintenance workers at the Greenbriar Apartments tossed the furniture of about a dozen residents over their balconies and into the snow. Residents have complained about bed bugs in their apartments to local, state and federal agencies during the past several months. Last week, the Greenbriar Apartments , 121 Waverly Road, was inspected by dogs trained to sniff out bed bugs. Thursday evening about 6:30, a notice was slipped under Sue Coulters door . The bed bug-sniffing dogs had detected the parasites in her apartment and workers would be by the next day to throw out her furniture. Since last summer, strips of white, sticky cardboard have been conspicuous in Coulters apartment , under the furniture, by the walls. Each monitor, given to her by management, captures any little creepy crawly that happens to crawl over it. I...

In the spring of 2015, residents of the Forest Hills Apartment complex complained about their air conditioners not working, mold in their apartments, outdated fire extinguishers , broken electrical outlets and slow response times from the management company . Now after about 18 months of renovations, things are starting to improve, residents say. “They’ve got a new manager, Ms. Eunice, and she is really, really trying to get some stuff done here,” Joyce Mosley, a long time resident of Forest Hills, said. “She has repaired several apartments, taken care of mold issues. They’ve sent in painters and plumbers.” Resident Keith Miller agreed . He said on a scale of 1 to 10, he’d give the new management an eight, primarily for their effort. He said things are not perfect, but he sees some improvement. Forest Hills has had a history of troubles in recent years. The 136- unit apartment complex is on Seventh Avenue and has 96 apartments reserved for residents who receive federal housing su...