COURIER L 14 IFE, APRIL 26–MAY 2, 2019 PS
‘I fear for my life’
PLG tenants living with mold while
landlord fi xes apartments for Airbnb
A family of Prospect Lefferts Gardens
“slum lords” is raking in the dough by
renting out renovated apartments on
Airbnb, while lease-holding tenants
suffer a brutal harassment campaign
amid disgusting, illegal, and unsafe
buildings conditions, according to a
civil complaint fi led in Kings County
Supreme Court.
“Sometimes I come home and the
lights don’t come on,” said Digna Doesserie
Mitchel, a longtime resident of
611 Flatbush Ave. “How is the landlord
going to fi x up these other apartments
for Airbnb and not maintain the rest of
the building? We deserve better than
this.”
Tenants living in three Flatbush
Avenue buildings located between
Rutland Road and Fenimore Street
claim they’ve been forced to endure
noxious mold, crumbling walls, unreliable
power, heat and hot water, defective
appliances, and leaking pipes
due to the negligence of the landlord,
the Shasho family, which has resulted
in inspectors dolling out 220 open
housing violations.
Additionally, the Department of
Housing Preservation and Development
placed one of the buildings — 607
Flatbush Ave. — on its list of the city’s
most notorious crap holes, the dreaded
Alternative Enforcement Program.
But that hasn’t stopped the Shasho
clan from investing in renovations for
at least fi ve unoccupied units within
their otherwise blighted properties,
which they’ve advertised on Airbnb as
“spectacular,” “spacious,” and “beautifully
sun-fi lled spaces” alongside images
of chandeliers and sparkling new
appliances, according to the plaintiffs.
But the gallery of charmingly furnished
and tastefully decorated hotel
rooms belie the hazards awaiting unwary
tourists, according to one tenant
of 607 Flatbush Ave., who said she lives
NOT RIGHT: Tenants are suing their landlord,
claiming they renovated units to sell on
Airbnb, while longtime residents are forced
to dwell amid mold and other hazards.
Tenants Rights Coalition
in constant fear of fi re as a result of the
building’s poor condition.
“I fear for my life,” said Elizabeth
Hayes, 65, who has been a tenant since
1981. “It’s the not knowing that makes
me afraid. This building is unsafe.”
The Shasho clan has done everything
it can to scare off its remaining tenants,
who enjoy modest annual rent increases
as a result of the city’s rent stabilization
laws, including replacing busted fridges
and ovens with appliances harboring
dead rats and cockroach infestations,
according to the suit.
The residents are looking for a
judge to step in and stop the harassment,
force repairs to the building,
and some monetary compensation for
their trouble, according to Seth Hoy,
a spokesman for the Tenants Rights
Coalition, which is representing the
tenants.
A man who answered a number for
William Shasho, who’s listed as the
owner for 599 Flatbush Ave., claimed
he was not a member of the Shasho
family, which could not be reached.
THE CITY CLERK
BY COLIN MIXSON
OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK
NOTICE OF SPECIAL ELECTION
45TH COUNCILMANIC DISTRICT
Pursuant to provisions of Section 25(b)(1) of the Charter of the City of New
York, notice is hereby given that a special election will be held in the
Borough of Brooklyn, County of Kings on, Tuesday, May 14, 2019,
between the hours of 6:00 AM and 9:00 PM for the purpose of electing a
candidate for the 45th Councilmanic District. Only registered voters in this
district are eligible to vote.
For any information on whether you are eligible to vote or where your poll
site is located, please call (212) V-0-T-E-N-Y-C. TDD for the hearingimpaired
is (212) 487-5496.
The City Clerk of the City of New York