Dozens of Sunnyside residents rallied on Saturday to demand that property management company Bronstein make “long-overdue” repairs and combat alleged harassment at a property in the neighborhood, allegations which the company firmly denies.
Members of the Bronstein Tenant Union and the Right to Counsel Coalition gathered outside 43-09 40th St. on Nov. 15 to demand that Bronstein Property enact repairs at the location, a 72-unit pre-war building.
Protesters alleged that tenants at the property have been without gas since April 28, while others stated that there have been multiple fires in the building in recent months.
Residents said they have organized against Bronstein in recent months, including undergoing a rent strike on Oct. 1. However, they alleged that several building superintendents have retaliated against attempts to organize. In one case, protesters alleged, a superintendent sexually harassed tenants who were attempting to organize against Bronstein.
Bronstein described reports of fires as “false” and allegations of sexual harassment as “unsubstantiated,” adding that it is working to restore gas at the building.
Other protesters accused the property management company of “displacing” tenants at the Sunnyside location. Organizers alleged that Bronstein has evicted 197 tenants from its properties across the city since 2017, with the company’s more than 100 properties allegedly collecting 17,792 violations in that timeframe.
On Nov. 15, Sunnyside residents and local elected officials gathered to demand repairs and an end to evictions at the property.
Tenants who joined Saturday’s rally spoke of living with issues such as mold, leaks and pest infestations and urged people not to rent from Bronstein.
Yvette Allen-Janis, a tenant who lives at the building, said tenants have been living without gas for seven months, forcing many tenants to rely on microwaves and hotplates.
“The burden of losing an essential service has fallen onto the tenants here. Tenants have no choice but to rely on microwaves, hot plates,” Allen-Janis said.
Carol Scudder, another tenant who lives in the building, described Bronstein’s response to the gas outage as “haphazard.”
Council Member Julie Won, meanwhile, vowed to go “as far as we need” to publicly shame Bronstein and to encourage people not to rent from the company.
“We will make sure that all of this is repaired,” Won said at the rally.
Won further accused the company of showing a “blatant disregard” for tenants’ wellbeing and said the company had shown a “long-standing pattern of neglect.”
A representative for state Sen. Mike Gianaris accused Bronstein of refusing to maintain people’s homes, forcing people to live in unsafe conditions in the midst of a housing crisis. The representative added that Gianaris was “deeply disappointed” by Bronstein’s alleged inaction.
“The blatant disregard for residents’ well-being and management’s failure to make necessary repairs highlights a growing problem in New York City of neglectful private equity and corporate landlords more focused on profits than people,” Gianaris’ representative said on Saturday. “Together, we will continue to fight to make sure Bronstein tenants and all New Yorkers will be treated dignity.”
Bronstein officials said the building has been without cooking gas and clothing dryer service since April due to a defect that required Con Edison to shut service off. They further stated that repairing the defect would require Bronstein to re-pipe all 13 riser lines throughout the building at a cost of around $300,000, stating that projects of such a magnitude can take up to 24 months to complete.
However, they said the re-piping project is 95% complete and added that all tenants will receive a 15% rent abatement from the shutoff date until gas is restored.
Officials also said allegations that there have been multiple fires at the building are “false,” stating that there are no reports on record related to fire. They further described claims of sexual harassment as “unsubstantiated,” adding that they are unaware of any official complaints.
“First and foremost, we understand how disruptive and frustrating a cooking gas outage can be, and we genuinely appreciate our residents’ patience throughout this process,” a Bronstein spokesperson said. “We also want to clarify that the allegations of fires, retaliatory misconduct, or harassment are unsubstantiated. We take resident safety and allegations of misconduct extremely seriously. Upon learning of a harassment accusation, we immediately initiated an investigation. Despite repeated requests for information, no details have been provided to substantiate the claim, and no related complaints have been filed with any city or state oversight agencies that we are aware of.”
Elected officials and residents at the rally also called on the state Legislature to pass statewide Right to Counsel and Clean Hands legislation, which would prevent landlords from evicting tenants over the non-payment of rent if the building is in violation of a building code.
Protesters called on Gov. Kathy Hochul to pass Right to Counsel, which would provide free legal services to tenants facing eviction and other housing-related issues.
“We implore the city and the Attorney General as well as the state to make sure that they pass the Statewide Right To Counsel and Clean Hands,” Won said at the rally.
Assembly Member Claire Valdez also called on her colleagues in the state legislature to pass both measures.
“We’re going back to Albany next year and we’re going to be fighting for Clean Hands and Statewide Right To Counsel, and for the rights and the dignity that every single tenant deserves,” Valdez said.
But Bronstein officials accused the tenant groups who organized the protest and the elected officials who took part of using a local issue to push a “legislative agenda.”
Officials alleged that many of the participants of the protest do not reside in the property and accused protesters of using the local issue to raise support for the Clean Hands Bill.
They claimed that residents, for the most part, are “very happy” in the building and said the building was an easy target for protesters because it is a pre-war structure that naturally has certain issues.
