Brownsville tenants without heat say building's boiler issue has been ongoing for a decade

Tenants in a Brownsville apartment building are without heat this winter due to what they say is a lack of repairs being made to the boiler.

News 12 Staff

Dec 31, 2020, 11:24 PM

Updated 1,443 days ago

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Tenants in a Brownsville apartment building are without heat this winter due to what they say is a lack of repairs being made to the boiler.
The building at 257 Mother Gaston Blvd. is one of five that tenants say has several issues, one being a lack of heat during winter months. They say this has been an ongoing problem for at least a decade.
"It's devastating getting up every morning in the cold, coming home from work into the cold, coming from out of the cold into the cold. I'm tired of it," says tenant Debra King.
King says she is frustrated by what she says is a faulty boiler that turns off when it's cold outside.
Tenants say the building is managed by the company Park Monroe but is also part of the city's Alternative Enforcement Program, which allows the Department of Housing Preservation and Development to make repairs in apartment buildings that have many code violations.
King says she has called HPD numerous times to get the boiler replaced, but she says they usually come out, inspect the apartments, and notify Park Monroe, who she says then makes a quick fix to the boiler that doesn't last long.
Now as the year ends, she and other tenants are going into yet another holiday with no heat. They say they go as far as turning on the oven for heat and blanketing windows so that the cold air does not get into their apartments.
The tenants say they're hoping that something will be done soon about their heating issue.
News 12 reached out to Park Monroe regarding the matter, but they responded, "no comment."
News 12 also reached out to DHP who provided this information: "We sent an inspector to the property today who confirmed that heat and hot water were of adequate temperature. We last issued a violation for heat and hot water at the property on 12/18, but during a follow up inspection, confirmed that heat and hot water had been restored."