Queens Tenants Face Disarray as Absent Landlord Neglects Building After Manager Arrests

Tenant Struggles Amidst Building Neglect

• 🏠 Residents in Queens' Hayes Court apartment complex are facing severe living condition issues, including a lack of heat and non-functional cooking gas.
• 💡 Alva Campos highlights her inability to cook and the ongoing problems with inconsistent heating throughout the winter.

Criminal Charges and Landlord Absence

• 🚨 The building's management was arrested in November, indicted on charges of defrauding the government of $2.2 million in COVID relief funds.
• 🚶‍♂️ Following the arrests, tenants report a complete lack of management presence, leaving them with no one to contact for repairs or issues.
• 💸 Pedro Rosado is participating in a rent strike, feeling like they are living in an abandoned building with no permanent super or management contact.

Escalating Building Issues and Legal Action

• 💥 Neighbors have had to rely on emergency services for issues like ceiling collapses due to the absence of routine maintenance.
• ⚖️ Tenant attorney Lo Diaz is pursuing legal action to remove the corporate landlord, HCEC Equities, citing a lack of repairs and tenant harassment.
• 📈 The Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) has issued over 500 violations at Hayes Court, with fines exceeding $200,000.

Official Response and Tenant Hopes

• 🥶 Council member Shaker Krishnan condemned the conditions as unacceptable and cruel, especially during cold weather.
• ✅ Alva Campos had her cooking gas restored after CBS News New York's inquiry, but hopes the service remains consistent.
• 💬 The landlord's attorney stated that new managers are in place, addressing tenant issues rapidly, and most essential services have been restored.