Inwood Tenants Go Months Without Heat, Hot Water, Politicians Say

INWOOD, NY — Uptown politicians called on one of Inwood's most notorious landlords Sunday to fix problems in a building that have left tenants without heat or hot water for months.

Residents of 3852 10th Ave., located near West 206th Street, have endured freezing conditions this winter, City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez said Sunday. Families in the apartment building had their heat and hot water shut off months ago and have made more than 20 complaints to 311 without receiving any help, Rodriguez said.

"It is unacceptable and criminal for New Yorkers to live in such precarious conditions. We demand that these essential services be restored at once," Rodriguez said Sunday.

The city councilman called the building's landlord — a man named Julian Rodriguez — a "repeat offender" Sunday. It was only slightly more than one year go when politicians held a rally in the same building after more than a dozen tenants were injured during a gas leak.

On Jan. 7 of 2017 a carbon monoxide leak stemming from the building's boiler sent 17 people to the hospital. Tenants of the building blamed the patchwork repairs done by landlord Julian Rodriguez and property manager Kitty Huang for the gas leak at the time.

"The tenants of 3852 10th Avenue have had to endure unimaginable conditions for years at the hands of a neglectful landlord," State Assemblywoman Carmen De La Rosa said Sunday. "Even with the most severe weather conditions, the families in this building have had to live without the most basic services of heat and hot water. The actions of this landlord are criminal and these tenants deserve to live in dignity."

Photo courtesy City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez' office