Tenants come together in court over yearslong battle against landlord

The Housing Preservation and Development website shows that the property in question has over 450 open violations.

Noelle Lilley and Adolfo Carrion

Apr 2, 2024, 12:49 AM

Updated 248 days ago

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A nearly decade-long battle over building repairs brought tenants from 33 East 150th St. to court on Monday.
The Housing Preservation and Development website shows that the property in question has over 450 open violations.
Tenants of the building have joined forces to fight for the repairs they say they deserve. One of those tenants, Yanet Raygoza Alvarez, has been a resident for over two decades and says many of her fellow neighbors were scared to speak up.
“Sometimes we dont know, we’re scared to talk because almost all of us are immigrants," said Alvarez.
Monday's court case marks the end of the four-year foreclosure saga, but now tenants are faced with new questions, such as who will own the building next.
Attorneys for the tenants say that the property's investors, JY Citizen LP, must take over as landlord in the meantime. The attorney is set to meet with the investors tomorrow.