BY AMY RUSSO | How did you cook your turkey this Thanksgiving? For most of the residents at 325 E. 12th St., it wasn’t with an oven. For the past six months, the East Village building’s apartments have lacked gas, just one sign of the declining living conditions that tenants say have prompted them to sue their young landlord, Raphael Toledano, and his Brookhill Properties.
A legal agreement reached Nov. 22 between Toledano and the tenants states that the gas will be turned back on by Jan. 31. However, a spokesperson from Brookhill Properties did not comment for this article regarding the restoration of the gas.
Stephanie Rudolph, the lead attorney representing the tenants, stated that while Brookhill C.E.O. Toledano could file for an extension of the deadline, failure to act would result in a series violations, as well as the possibility of being held in contempt of court or, in a rare worst-case-scenario, jail time. If Toledano decides to ask the court for more time to restore the gas, Rudolph may oppose his motion.
Attorney Rudolph noted that Toledano has blamed Con Edison and the city’s Department of Buildings for the delay in turning the tenants’ gas back on.
Brookhill Properties issued the following statement to The Villager: “We have been working tirelessly with all parties, including our contractors, Con Edison, the New York City Department of Buildings and our tenants, to repair and remedy this situation. Since 2015, D.O.B. has b[r]ought about a major increase in inspections, many resulting in gas shutoffs, and this was the case at 325 E. 12th St. Recognizing the inconvenience to tenants, Brookhill Properties has offered a rent abatement and stovetop burners to all tenants in this building. Brookhill will continue to diligently work with Con Edison, D.O.B. and our contractors toward the safe completion of all necessary work to restore gas to all of our tenants as soon as possible.”
Aside from the absence of gas in the building, tenants have reported a series of additional issues that appear to have gone unattended. A tour inside the building last week revealed worn and chipped walls, plus a pile of debris in a vacant apartment that can be seen from across the courtyard and through the window. Residents call these “dumpster apartments.”
Liz Haak, who has lived in the tenement for 43 years, said the trash has been there since last spring, adding that the city has told them that tenants can only complain about their own apartments, not vacant units, such as this one.
“The sense seems to be that they’re running out of money,” said Haak, who doubts Brookhill will order a dumpster and cart out the rubbish. A Brookhill Properties spokesperson would not comment about the presence of so-called “dumpster apartments.”
Haak is one of the few residents with an electric stove, so fortunately she does not need to petition for gas. Nevertheless, her concerns remain high. Haak worries about the possibility of lead dust being present, since she verified through city records that the building is 100 years old. And after the building failed a pressure test in October, tenants learned all the gas lines need replacement.
“They didn’t tell the tenants directly,” Haak noted of that problem.
It has also been reported that tenants have been encouraged to leave their units, so that Toledano can raise rent-stabilized apartments to market rate, a complaint that has been raised by residents and echoed by Rudolph. According to Trissy Callan, who has lived there more than 39 years, “Fourteen out of 36 units have been vacated.”
The Villager was unable to reach Toledano directly for comment. However, in a statement reprinted in a Nov. 21 Cooper Square Committee press release, he said, “I’ve come to know my tenants, and they’re wonderful people whom we’ve developed good relationships with as human beings.”
