Real Estate
Tenants Had Sued Landlord At Inwood Building Before 2nd Fire Hit
74/78 Post Ave was hit with its 2nd major fire of the year, but not before tenants sued its landlord for how it dealt with the first blaze.
INWOOD, NY — Months before a powerful fire hit an Inwood apartment building Wednesday night — the second blaze this year— tenants of the building sued its landlord for failing to repair damage caused by the first blaze.
The 23-rent stabilized tenants, who at the time of the lawsuit in March 2021, hadn't been able to return to their apartments following a major fire on Jan. 5, filed the suit against George Huang, who runs The Heights Real Estate Co.
The suit alleged that Huang was trying to push them out of their apartments permanently so he could renovate the spaces and charge a higher rate to new buyers than the previously fixed rent-controlled costs.
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"The landlord is just waiting for us to get exasperated and find another place to so he can make repairs and rent it for a higher price," said tenant Jose Moreno when the lawsuit was announced. At the time, he was living in a hotel with four other people waiting for repairs to be made to their Inwood home.
The Heights Real Estate Co. and Huang did not return Patch's request for comment at the time of the suit in March and did not return Patch's more recent request either.
Find out what's happening in Washington Heights-Inwoodfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Just as the fire at 74/78 Post Avenue did in January, the flames Wednesday night ravaged the same top floor area of the building. In total, the recent flames left 35 people homeless on Thanksgiving Eve.
The fire in January at the same address left 35 adults and 16 children displaced, leading to multiple fundraisers for the tenants.
"The Heights Real Estate Company, on the other hand, was negligent in allowing this fire to happen in the first place, ignoring tenant concerns about the electrical wiring," State Senator Robert Jackson said when the lawsuit was first announced. "They were negligent in their initial response to the fire, failing to provide security or keep tenants or their possessions safe."
Assembly Member Carmen De La Rosa and Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez also supported the tenants in their lawsuit.
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