Illegal apartment in town of oyster bay?

[tjordan774]

Originally Posted by tjordan774

Hello to all,

My wife and I are new to new york and have never had an apartment that is a "mother/daughter". It has a separate entrance through the backyard, we share a meter and have two separate mailboxes. The previous tenants, we found out after signing the lease, moved due to mold problems and it has gotten worse sense. The landlords put a plastic lock over the thermostat and have yet to fix the pipes in the bedroom. We have no central air or an ac window unit and only 3 windows have screens on them. We live on the second floor and were provided a refrigorator that has a few broken shelves and they have yet to remove the stove. The last time a assesor for the property came, the mother, who speaks only Cantonese barged in on me naked and threw a blanket over the stove. No kitchen sink but when we wash dishes they complain about the drains getting backed up ( we are hardly home and barely even cook). I looked at the property record and it says it is a one family year-round residence tax class l with one living unit 2 full baths and 6 rooms. can someone just give me piece of mind that this is legal or not. I do not really want to cause the landlords harm but if it is illegal it is unfair to pay the rent we are paying.

PS: we found out these problems later. signed the lease immediately because we were homeless for almost 2 months and had enough of my wife's BAH from the military to get the apartment that night instead of living in hotels and our car. Rushed decision but everyone we know is now saying it is an illegal place. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!

[ObserverNY]

Originally Posted by tjordan774

It's not just because i am having problems here. I wouldn't want another tenant to have the same issues.

Good for you, nice to see someone with principles. Don't worry about breaking the lease, it would never stand up in court. If you gave these thieves security money, use it for the next month's rent while you search for a new LEGAL apartment. Best of luck to you!