Bronx tenants sue landlord over living conditions

Tenants of an apartment building in the Bronx filed a lawsuit Tuesday against their landlord over the alleged deplorable conditions of their homes. Residents at 806 175 St. say they are fed up with crumbling

News 12 Staff

Sep 2, 2008, 11:02 PM

Updated 5,889 days ago

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Tenants of an apartment building in the Bronx filed a lawsuit Tuesday against their landlord over the alleged deplorable conditions of their homes.
Residents at 806 175 St. say they are fed up with crumbling ceilings, holes in windows and floors, fungus and toilets that haven?t flushed for years. Some tenants say they even have to shower with an umbrella to avoid buckets full of water splashing from the floor above.
?Disgraceful, very disgraceful. My dog shouldn't be living in the conditions we are,? says a tenant Latovia Dukes.
Children and teens who live in the housing complex allege that quality of life issues are preventing them from concentrating on more important things.
?I want to concentrate on school, I want to pass all my grades, and sometimes there are cockroaches coming out of the floor,? says Johncel Concepcion.
According to New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development officials, they are eager to help all the tenants in the building and have issued over 900 violations.
Officials add that they had to issue access warrants in order to enter the apartments and make emergency repairs because the landlord refused to let them in.
In the meantime, neighbors say that they plan to continue the fight for their tenant rights. They are due in court on Sept. 24.