Putting problem landlords on notice in Hartford. The mayor revealed a list of landlords Monday he says violated the city’s housing code multiple times, including one the city is looking to get prosecuted for dragging their feet on repairs.
“We just want this to be over. It’s been a long four months,” Marisol Navarro, a Concord Hills Apartments tenant, said.
She’s tired of the uncertainty of where she will live next month. Navarro is one of about 30 households still in temporary housing after a fire in August at the Concord Hills Apartments in Hartford.
Navarro and other tenants have been frustrated with their landlord Greyhill Group for delays in repairs to the point they protested in front of their offices in New York City last week. They’ve also pushed Mayor Arunan Arulampalam to take forceful action against the landlord.
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“The city makes Greyhill accountable, make them fix the apartments so we can return and go back to our happy place,” Navarro said.
On Monday, Arulamapalam announced the city would seek criminal charges against Greyhill Group through the State’s Attorney’s Office, saying it violated the city’s housing ordinances.
“There will be consequences, there will be accountability, and we will hold you to account,” he said.
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The mayor also revealed a list of three out-of-state landlords he said have not been taking care of the buildings or tenants. That includes PAXE properties, which is owned by Aron Puretz of New York.
The city said multiple PAXE properties had to be vacated due to unsafe conditions, with 13 buildings in foreclosure and/or receivership.
The city also said landlord Moshe Grossbard of New York had notices for violating building codes, with liens on multiple properties for unpaid fines.
Finally, Whitehead Estates LLC, owned by Bishop Lamor Whitehead of New Jersey, had 24 units condemned by the city for no heat or water. Whitehead is currently serving a nine-year prison sentence after being convicted on fraud charges.
“If you don't shape up, we are going to drive you out of the city. We're going to make it hard for you to do business,” Arulampalam said.
Navarro said it sends a clear message that enough is enough when it comes to treating tenants right.
“Landlords in the state of Connecticut need to know that they cannot play with peoples' lives,” she said.
Arulampalam also said Greyhill Group threatened to sue him in his personal capacity over comments he made about the dispute over repairs at Concord Hills.
NBC Connecticut reached out to the attorneys representing Greyhill Group for comment.
The law firm representing Concord Hills Apartments in Hartford in connection with the fire on Aug. 10 released a statement on Tuesday.
They said their clients feel compelled to respond to the “false and misleading statements being made about them and the project by the Mayor and the tenants union.“
“The owners have been working in good faith with the City since the fire to restore the affected units and get tenants back in their apartments.
“As a result of the fire, the City filed a lien on the property on August 13, 2024.
“As a result of the lien, our client’s insurance company would not advance insurance proceeds to fund the restoration of the property.
“Our clients requested a meeting with the City on September 9, 2024, in order to work out an agreement regarding the relocation lien so that the insurance company could fund the restoration.
“The City refused to enter into an agreement regarding the relocation lien until November 20, 2024.
“Contrary to what has been reported by the Mayor, there was never an agreement with the City to loan funds to the owner to complete renovations so there was never an agreement for the Mayor to terminate.
“The only agreement with the City is the November 20, 2024, agreement which is still in place.
“The owners have made numerous requests to meet with the Mayor directly and the Mayor has refused to meet with the owners.”
The law firm went on to say that the owners have been working closely with licenses and inspections and other members of the building department, tenant services and fire safety to get the renovations completed as soon as possible.
“Had the City engaged in a dialogue sooner regarding an agreement the units would have been restored by now,” the statement went on to say.
“For the City to say that the owners are dragging their feet is not correct.
“In fact, the City has been dragging its feet which has delayed restoration of the damaged units.“
"The owners have done and will continue to do everything in their power to get the affected units restored and back in service as quickly as possible."
The city of Hartford released a statement on Tuesday in response.
"What GreyHill Group still fails to mention is that they have been receiving income-replacement insurance payments since the time of the fire and have failed to make timely repairs. Senior city officials have met with these owners numerous times to encourage action on their part before yesterday's referral to the State’s Attorney’s Office. The affected tenants don’t have the luxury of waiting for the GreyHill Group to take meaningful action to complete the repairs," a statement from a spokesman for the city said.
