Bronx tenants say they’ve been living with no hot water for half of 2022

Other residents at 2031 Hughes Ave. say the issues with hot water have bothered them since July as well, citing that there are other issues in the building, such as unbearably hot apartments during parts of the year.

News 12 Staff

Dec 6, 2022, 12:38 AM

Updated 674 days ago

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Tenants of a Tremont apartment building are demanding their landlord take action to fix the building after they say they’ve been without hot water for half of this year.  
Velma Holmes says she’s been living in her apartment without access to hot water since July, fighting to keep warm as temperatures drop at the end of this year.  
She has been dealing with this housing issue while simultaneously battling cancer, and is concerned for her health as winter gets closer.  
“Forget about a bath… ain’t no baths around here,” said Holmes. “I don’t know how long I’ll be living, and I don’t want to live like this any longer.” 
Other residents at 2031 Hughes Ave. say the issues with hot water have bothered them since July as well, citing that there are other issues in the building, such as unbearably hot apartments during parts of the year.  
Tulsa Johnson spoke with News 12 on Monday, and while she has her thermostat set to 50 degrees, she’s forced to keep the windows in her apartment open to prevent overheating, despite it being around 40 degrees. 
Both Johnson and Holmes have reported their issues to the landlord, superintendent, and city agencies for the last six months, to no avail. 
News 12 reached out to Dougert Management, who says the building at 2031 Hughes Ave. has a broken boiler. They say while they do have plans to replace it, they are unable to access a necessary part for the fix due to a supply chain shortage.