THE BRONX, N.Y. (PIX11) -- Rats, roaches and a lack of repairs. Those are the complaints of some residents of a rent-stabilized apartment building at 115 East 169th Street in the Bronx.
They held a rally Wednesday night in the lobby of the building. It was organized by CASA or Community Action for Safe Apartments.
With the help of Bronx Legal Services, the tenants filed a lawsuit back in January against the building's owner, Denali Management of Yonkers. Then, a fire on Feb. 11 resulted in a city vacate order at nine of the apartments. The FDNY told PIX 11 News it was deemed accidental and the cause was electrical.
Douglas Henderson Jr., who is representing the tenants, said Denali Management failed to show up for a housing court date Wednesday. Henderson said the city's Housing Preservation and Development has issued 178 code violations against Denali.
William Fowler, a spokesman for the city's Housing Preservation and Development, stated to PIX11 News saying:
"All building owners must follow the law and provide safe living conditions to their tenants. HPD has responded to tenant complaints by issuing over 170 housing code violations at this address and will continue to respond until conditions are- properly addressed."
The city's Department of Health responded to our request for comment with a statement that said:
"We aim to be as responsive to New Yorkers as possible, and we’ve been to this address 16 times since 2015 to inspect for rats. In addition to inspecting properties – as well as enforcing or treating properties when necessary – we also offer a variety of resources to community members to drive rats out of the communities and improve livability in New York City neighborhoods. New Yorkers can look up results of Health Department rat inspections on the Rat Information Portal."
Denali Management of Yonkers did not respond to PIX11's voicemails or emails.
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