Bronx tenants sue landlord over rent hikes

Tenants of one Bronx building are suing their landlord over alleged illegal rent increases.
Eighteen residents of the apartment building at 1111 Gerard Ave. are suing their landlord for allegedly trying to push rent increases on them.
According to the complaint filed on Monday, the landlord has received millions of dollars in tax breaks under the 421-A program, which protects tenants from sudden rent increases.
The tax break expires in June 2017.
Frustrated tenants say their landlord has raised the rent as much as 40 percent above the legal limit.
News 12 reached out to the management company, Shree Ganesh Bronx, LLC, for comment. A representative says that the company is not aware of the situation and cannot comment until the details are reviewed.
Tenants also say the conditions they live in have gotten worse over the years. They say they used to have a community room and parking garage, but both have been taken away.