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Bronx Tenants Taking City's Worst Landlord to Court Over Living Conditions

By Eddie Small | May 25, 2016 4:37pm
 Tenants at 1530 Sheridan Ave. have filed suit against their landlord to try forcing him to make repairs.
Tenants at 1530 Sheridan Ave. have filed suit against their landlord to try forcing him to make repairs.
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DNAinfo/Eddie Small

CLAREMONT — A group of more than 30 Bronx tenants are taking the city's worst landlord to court over issues in their building ranging from broken locks to bedbugs.

Residents of 1530 Sheridan Ave. charge that Ved Parkash, who was listed as No. 1 on Public Advocate Letitia James's worst landlords, did nothing to repair moldy ceilings, holes in the floor or deal with bedbug and rodent infestations, according to the suit filed April 28 in Bronx Housing Court.

They will face Parkash for the first time in court on Thursday, their lawyer Keriann Pauls said.

The action is meant to force Parkash to make several repairs to their building that they argue in the suit endanger the lives, health and safety of tenants.

The list of complaints attached to the lawsuit stretches on for 14 pages and includes rat infestations, floors filled with holes and moldy ceilings.

Luis Ramos, president of the building's tenants association, has been dealing with inadequate heat and hot water, holes in the bathroom floor and a leaky ceiling in his apartment, according to the lawsuit.

He said people at the building responsible for handling repairs have been neglecting their duties for months.

"They would get rude and nasty with you regarding repairs, regarding anything that you need," he said. "They would hang up the phone."

"Now they don’t even pick it up at all," he continued. "It’s been a good nine months. They don’t even answer the damn phone."

Bernardo Liriano, who also lives in the building, said he has been struggling with leaks and floor damages that make him too embarrassed to invite anyone over to his place.

"Sometimes I don't want to bring people to my house," he said, "because I don't want people to see the floor like that."

The suit also includes a list of open violations 1530 Sheridan Ave. has with both the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and the Department of Buildings.

The building currently has 443 open violations with HPD and 23 open violations with DOB, according to the agency's websites.

Parkash could not be reached for comment.

Pauls said it was disappointing that the conditions at 1530 Sheridan Ave. forced tenants to file a lawsuit, given how time consuming the process can be, but she was hopeful it would ultimately help to improve tenants' apartments.

"They're hardworking folks. It takes up a lot of their resources to have to go through a court proceeding," she said, "but we’re just happy to be able to go work alongside them to try to advocate for what they deserve."