NEW YORK CITY — A property owner accused by tenants of using harassment tactics signed a document on Wednesday pledging to crack down on practices that had troubled residents, such as dragging its feet on needed repairs and carrying out unauthorized construction.
After a yearslong investigation uncovered unsafe living conditions at properties owned by Icon Realty Management, the multi-agency Tenant Harassment Prevention Task Force reached a settlement with the landlord that it says will prevent tenant harassment and serve as a warning to bad owners.
The task force — a collection of city and state agencies assembled in 2015 to tackle tenant harassment — said Icon created hazardous conditions by kicking up excessive debris during construction work, ignoring requests for repairs and cutting services for extended periods of time.
Icon owns properties in the East and West Villages, Lower East Side, Midtown, Upper East Side, Chelsea and Park Slope.
Investigators found collapsed ceilings, water leaks, dust scattered throughout common areas and a lack of clean air in the buildings they inspected, according to the agreement.
At times, Icon had also failed to get the proper Department of Buildings permits for the work, or carried out construction not allowed under the permits it obtained.
Additionally, the company lied on some Department of Buildings forms, stating a building was vacant when it was occupied or falsely stating a building was without rent-regulated units, the agreement said.
The task force also found Icon failed to carry out repairs in a timely manner, leaving tenants without services such as hot water, cooking gas or elevator service for long periods of time.
The document signed by Icon's representatives, called an Assurance of Discontinuance, seeks to hold the company accountable by forcing it to perform repairs in a timely manner, file strictly truthful DOB forms, and only carry out safe and permitted construction.
An independent administrator will be hired to oversee Icon's compliance with the agreement, the document states. The administrator will be nominated by Icon and must be approved by the task force.
As part of the agreement, the company has to pay $300,000 to cover the cost of the task force's investigation and another $200,000 in penalties, fees and costs to various city agencies.
In signing the document, Icon neither confirmed nor denied the task force's findings.
An attorney for Icon said the company never intentionally harassed its tenants and has already been giving rent abatements to residents without services.
"Icon never, ever intended to harass tenants and the Task Force made no finding of harassment because none occurred, no tenants were displaced and any claim to the contrary is just political hype," said attorney Ken Fisher in a statement.
"There were some construction issues in a handful of buildings which Icon addressed over a year ago, giving affected tenants rent abatements, and changing their procedures to prevent reoccurrence [sic]."
Fisher also pointed out no legal action was taken as a result of the task force's findings, adding that a press release put out by the task force about the agreement is misleading and that the company is reviewing legal actions.
"Across its portfolio, Icon has less than an average of one violation per apartment, far below the City's management standard," he said. "The Task Force's press release is completely overblown and misleading and the company is reviewing its legal actions."
The Assurance of Discontinuance can be read in full below.
Icon Realty Assurance of Discontinuance by DNAinfoNewYork on Scribd
