Slumlord compelled to make serious repairs

Because of court orders, slum landlord Nicholas Haros was forced to fix the building structure and more than half of the apartments inside a Jackson Heights building, where a fire killed the parents of three little girls in 2004.
“It’s a victory that we were able to get unprecedented repairs,” said Catholic Migration Services lawyer Rob McCreanor. McCreanor said that the building, one of 47 owned by Haros in Queens had gotten a heightened amount of attention from local politicians because repairs to fire-ravaged apartments had not been repaired.
Resident Byron Munoz said that he had never seen the extent of repairs done within the last month in the 30 years that he lived in the building. In March, McCreanor had filed the lawsuit on behalf of 40 tenants at 37-52 89th Street, and before the return to court date, two weeks later, two work crews had repaired more than half the damages included in the suit.
Dozens of tenants, who signed onto the lawsuit, as well as neighbors and other residents, gathered in the building’s lobby last week to celebrate the victory.
“The tenants of this building can stand proud because they were able to fight together for their own well-being. Tenants throughout NYC should not be afraid of slumlords such as Nicholas Haros,” said Assemblyman Jose Peralta, who was on hand for the celebration.
Peralta had sent letters to several city organizations, including the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the Bureau of Consumer Affairs, calling for the city to force Haros to make repairs.
Haros has also begun repairs at several buildings on 95th Street because of 12 lawsuits brought by the Catholic Migration Services. The work has included putting up scaffolding for re-pointing and exterior repairs.
“That hits his pocket,” McCreanor said. “But if you are trying to make money in this business, you have to be prepared to meet your obligations.”
McCreanor also warned that tenants should remain alert for other problems in the building after media attention dies down. Tenants have complained that their landlord often made only band-aid repairs to their apartments.