Help I'm living in an illegal apt in manhattan. (apartment, lease, rental)

[nobleone6969]

First off this prob will not be short. But I'll try. I am currently living in an illegal apt (no certificate of occupancy) in Harlem ny. I have been living here since I was 16 years old. My mother passed in 2008 and I succeeded the apt. Before my mother passed I found on the city website that the apt was illegal. She went to court and got a stipulation explaining that the landlord was to furnish het with a list of the same size or similiar apt for the current lease rent. At this time my mother stopped paying rent. This was in 2006. Nothing has been done. It's now 2011 and I have not paid rent either. I spoke to the attorney for the property (vantage management) in April and was told first that they can give me an apt meeting the terms of the stipulation but after one year the rent will increase to the normal rent which is now 1900 dollars. When I declined and informed them that I wanted what was promised to my mother while I was there I was told they would find an apartment for me.

Now after the summer I was asked by the mantienace super if I spoke to the attorneys. I have not and now Apparently they have to knock a wall down in my apt to make it legal. This never told to me until recently and never by the attorney.

I feel I have been harrashed because of the speed of the work being done in my apt. A list of some things:

1. My bathroom ceiling has collapsed on me while in the shower ( no pics of it on me but pics of the ceiling are available) and it took 3 weeks to fi and the city had to do it.

2. I'm infested with water bugs and roaches

3. There is mold on my tiles on my bath tub.

4.I've had 2 leaks in the past 3 months. One created a floods.

5. I live on the lobby and I don't have window gates.

6. Oh and more mold on my kitchen cabinets.

What are my options? I want to move but they put me and my mom through
hell.

Thanks

[AdotAllen]

Originally Posted by nobleone6969

First off this prob will not be short. But I'll try. I am currently living in an illegal apt (no certificate of occupancy) in Harlem ny. I have been living here since I was 16 years old. My mother passed in 2008 and I succeeded the apt. Before my mother passed I found on the city website that the apt was illegal. She went to court and got a stipulation explaining that the landlord was to furnish het with a list of the same size or similiar apt for the current lease rent. At this time my mother stopped paying rent. This was in 2006. Nothing has been done. It's now 2011 and I have not paid rent either. I spoke to the attorney for the property (vantage management) in April and was told first that they can give me an apt meeting the terms of the stipulation but after one year the rent will increase to the normal rent which is now 1900 dollars. When I declined and informed them that I wanted what was promised to my mother while I was there I was told they would find an apartment for me.

Now after the summer I was asked by the mantienace super if I spoke to the attorneys. I have not and now Apparently they have to knock a wall down in my apt to make it legal. This never told to me until recently and never by the attorney.

I feel I have been harrashed because of the speed of the work being done in my apt. A list of some things:

1. My bathroom ceiling has collapsed on me while in the shower ( no pics of it on me but pics of the ceiling are available) and it took 3 weeks to fi and the city had to do it.

2. I'm infested with water bugs and roaches

3. There is mold on my tiles on my bath tub.

4.I've had 2 leaks in the past 3 months. One created a floods.

5. I live on the lobby and I don't have window gates.

6. Oh and more mold on my kitchen cabinets.

What are my options? I want to move but they put me and my mom through
hell. Thanks

Oh this place sounds like a gem!
Seriously, move.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by nobleone6969

Help I'm living in an illegal apt in manhattan.

So are about 2 million others up there

water bugs, roaches, mold, leaks, floods.

So do about 2 million others up there

What are my options?

move on.
both literally and figuratively.

[CarlitosBala]

Let me get this straight...

you have been living in this dump, rent free, since 2006.

I really don't know what to say other than "you get what you pay for".

I seriously think you may just be better off living under a bridge.

[jdm2008]

Originally Posted by nobleone6969

First off this prob will not be short. But I'll try. I am currently living in an illegal apt (no certificate of occupancy) in Harlem ny. I have been living here since I was 16 years old. My mother passed in 2008 and I succeeded the apt. Before my mother passed I found on the city website that the apt was illegal. She went to court and got a stipulation explaining that the landlord was to furnish het with a list of the same size or similiar apt for the current lease rent. At this time my mother stopped paying rent. This was in 2006. Nothing has been done. It's now 2011 and I have not paid rent either. I spoke to the attorney for the property (vantage management) in April and was told first that they can give me an apt meeting the terms of the stipulation but after one year the rent will increase to the normal rent which is now 1900 dollars. When I declined and informed them that I wanted what was promised to my mother while I was there I was told they would find an apartment for me.

Now after the summer I was asked by the mantienace super if I spoke to the attorneys. I have not and now Apparently they have to knock a wall down in my apt to make it legal. This never told to me until recently and never by the attorney.

I feel I have been harrashed because of the speed of the work being done in my apt. A list of some things:

1. My bathroom ceiling has collapsed on me while in the shower ( no pics of it on me but pics of the ceiling are available) and it took 3 weeks to fi and the city had to do it.

2. I'm infested with water bugs and roaches

3. There is mold on my tiles on my bath tub.

4.I've had 2 leaks in the past 3 months. One created a floods.

5. I live on the lobby and I don't have window gates.

6. Oh and more mold on my kitchen cabinets.

What are my options? I want to move but they put me and my mom through
hell.

Thanks

What kind of regulations is your apartment under. Rent stabilization, or rent control?
Sounds like rent stabilization. You'll probably have better luck in the nyc forum. Not many people in this forum are familiar with nyc rental laws which are very unique from the rest of the nation.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by nobleone6969

2. I'm infested with water bugs and roaches

3. There is mold on my tiles on my bath tub.

6. Oh and more mold on my kitchen cabinets.

It seems like you could fix all three of these problems yourself, they are probably due to your own lack of cleaning then anything else.

[nobleone6969]

Jdm2008... Thanks for the HELPFULL reply. Me living in this apt has a lot to do with rents. I am a NYC public school teacher and I'm wanting to move on but the LL is not standing up to the court order. Rents in ny are about 1600 for a good one bedroom. Along with supplies for myself and students I'm barely staying a float. To the person that had nothing else better to say the bugs are due to a lack of cleaning.... 1234 let me not even respond to you. I will go to the ny forum might find someone that knows what they are talking bout and are willing to give advice instead of piling on.. Thanks again
jdm2008

[davecj]

Originally Posted by nobleone6969

First off this prob will not be short. But I'll try. I am currently living in an illegal apt (no certificate of occupancy) in Harlem ny. I have been living here since I was 16 years old. My mother passed in 2008 and I succeeded the apt. Before my mother passed I found on the city website that the apt was illegal. She went to court and got a stipulation explaining that the landlord was to furnish het with a list of the same size or similiar apt for the current lease rent. At this time my mother stopped paying rent. This was in 2006. Nothing has been done. It's now 2011 and I have not paid rent either. I spoke to the attorney for the property (vantage management) in April and was told first that they can give me an apt meeting the terms of the stipulation but after one year the rent will increase to the normal rent which is now 1900 dollars. When I declined and informed them that I wanted what was promised to my mother while I was there I was told they would find an apartment for me.

Now after the summer I was asked by the mantienace super if I spoke to the attorneys. I have not and now Apparently they have to knock a wall down in my apt to make it legal. This never told to me until recently and never by the attorney.

I feel I have been harrashed because of the speed of the work being done in my apt. A list of some things:

1. My bathroom ceiling has collapsed on me while in the shower ( no pics of it on me but pics of the ceiling are available) and it took 3 weeks to fi and the city had to do it.

2. I'm infested with water bugs and roaches

3. There is mold on my tiles on my bath tub.

4.I've had 2 leaks in the past 3 months. One created a floods.

5. I live on the lobby and I don't have window gates.

6. Oh and more mold on my kitchen cabinets.

What are my options? I want to move but they put me and my mom through
hell.

Thanks

That is about where I stopped reading.

[nobleone6969]

Also to the people that think I'm not wanting to pay... I tried and they returnedy check. They told
Me they are not allowed to accept
Money on the apt since its illegal. I've done everything possible to move but they drag their feet on the apartment owed. I have the money owed by me 3 years in escrow just in case

[jamies]

You are a school teacher, living rent free for going on 6 years in Manhattan savign market rent of $1,900 a month or nearly $24,000 a year - for a total of $150,000 with interest, and you are complaining? If you aren't happy, go rent an apartment on Park Ave for $36,000 a month and it will be much nicer I promise. Sorry - I've lived in my car a time or two, don't expect sympathy here. You need to move out and let the LL have their property back to do what they want with it.