NYC's Worst Landlord Tries To Evict Crown Heights Tenants: Report

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — A months-long rent strike brought on by the coronavirus pandemic is heating up on President Street, where the city's "worst landlord" is threatening to evict his tenants, Curbed reports.

The landlord, Jason Korn, named the city’s worst individual landlord in 2019 by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, has taken the first steps to evict most of the tenants at 1616 President St. with warnings that residents will be taken to housing court unless they end a rent strike, the outlet reports.

Sixteen tenants in the building have been on rent strike since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, which caused several to lose their jobs.

The strike is the culmination of what tenants say have been years of deteriorating conditions at the building with little help from Korn, who first agreed to a Zoom meeting about the strike in October and then backed out.

The building, run by Lilmor Management, has more than 123 open violations with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, 17 of which were reported over the last two weeks.The complaints include defective locks, a broken intercom, roach and mouse infestations, peeling lead paint and mold, according to Curbed.

Korn’s attorneys told the outlet that they are willing to negotiate repayment plans with individual renters and are demanding a list of needed repairs and dates when workers can access the apartments. The tenants’ association plans to meet with Korn this week.

Read the full article on Curbed here.