Description
Update (10/24):
This issue isn't allowing me to post below for some reason. The comment area reads: "It's been closed for archive purposes."
Thank you @Yaakov, @LegalEagle, and everyone else who has provided helpful comments and info. It is very useful to know that we can go to the courthouse at the state level.
The heat went out again from 10/23/2012 (in the evening some time) to 3 pm or so this afternoon 10/25/2012. Tenants called maintenance people quite a few times on a few different numbers. I don't know if LCI was called this time. The heat came on when I began to consider talking to a supervisor over there. If there is a next time and response isn't immediate tenants interested in going to the courthouse can draft a letter with Legal Eagle's information (thank you so much, again). I have documentation of dates and times everything has happened. I hope other tenants watching this thread are documenting, as well.
If the site permits, I will update this thread again if another problem takes place.
If not, myself or another tenant may have to open a new report here or off-site (depending on how fast it posts - the original post for this matter didn't post until the next day).
Thank you again for all of the useful information. I am taking a screenshot to be sure the page is archived/preserved in a second location. I urge other tenants to do the same.
Original post:
Despite numerous calls from tenants and at least a few calls to Livable Cities, Mandy Management seems content to violate our leases and deny heating to a building housing children as young as 3 years old. Hot water goes out sometimes for more than a day in Mandy Management's 285 Edgewood Ave property, as well. This happens every two weeks on average.
If tenants don't come together to visit Livable Cities en masse, things could get worse. It will be 41 degrees tonight - according to the weather reports I saw, and there is still no heat. Heating apartments with gas stoves is dangerous - especially with very young children in the house. And, there is also still no hot water as of 2:08 PM today. It's criminal. Mandy management seems to be going the way of Apple management.
Any thoughts on how to get Livable Cities to do something, or should Fair Housing or a federal department be approached? Still researching on this end. I am shocked that this is happening. They "seemed" to run a responsive operation. Turns out, they're just collecting checks, and penny-pinching on required heating as long as they can. It's despicable.
14 Comments
CT Livable Streets Campaign (Registered User)
Yaakov Jacob Komisar (Registered User)
me (Guest)
Mandy Management is notorious for not maintaining buildings- Please be EXTREMELY PERSISTENT with LCI. They are very responsive- keep calling. call channel 8 report it feature. Also file a complaint with the NH Housing Commission.
Best of Luck. Can't wait until this company is out of business.
me (Guest)
Business Address: 399 WHALLEY AVENUE, NEW HAVEN, CT, 06511 Mailing Address: P.O. BOX .3616, WOODBRIDGE, CT, 06525
Citizenship/State Inc: Domestic/CT Last Report Year: 2011
Business Type: Domestic Limited Liability Company Business Status: Active
Date Inc/Register: Nov 19, 2002
Principals
Name/Title: Business Address: Residence Address:
MENACHEM GUREVITCH MANAGER 399 WHALLEY AVENUE #103, NEW HAVEN, CT, 06511 399 WHALLEY AVENUE #103, NEW HAVEN, CT, 06511
NETZ, U.S.A., LLC MEMBER YOVEL TOWER 125, MENACHEM BEGIN ST, 24TH FL, TEL AVIV, ISREAL NONE
Business Summary
Agent Name: HAROLD F BERNSTEIN
Agent Business Address: C/O ZONE & BERNSTEIN, 123 PROSPECT ST, STAMFORD, CT
Agent Residence Address: 53 APPLE TREE DR, STAMFORD, CT
Paula Pen (Guest)
PowerInnumbers (Guest)
The water came back, and went out again this afternoon. Again we have no hot water. Heat was finally turned on around 1:20 in the afternoon right before another LCI inspector came out. A few hours after the appointment no heat or hot water again. They run out of oil EVERY two weeks, and we are sometimes out of hot water for over a day if they don't feel like addressing it right away. There's no reason they can't have a constant flow of hot water. If this persists, I intend to fight to break my lease. They are ridiculous. I found out we can call the police if the heat isn't provided again, and the police will send an inspector right out (I believe an LCI inspector).
PowerInNumbers (Registered User)
@Mark
I find the "If true" remark kind of offensive. You may or may not have intended it that way, but this has been a very frustrating issue to say the least, so that struck a chord. What would I gain by posting fiction? This is a serious issue. Heating a house with a gas stove because the landlord won't heat the building is dangerous. But, there are children in this building, so what else are parents supposed to do on a 46 degree evening if they don't have a space heater (or the money to buy one immediately) on hand?
We have been without heat for several weeks. From the moment it dipped below 65 degrees at night, they were in violation of the law. They actually tried to say that they had the legal right to have it off. Most people don't push, or even know the law. When they were told that was false, they told one of the tenants the furnace was broken. This building is mostly low-income elderly and families with dependents. If tenants don't know their rights, don't have the health or energy to fight, or they're too apathetic, they'll be gamed until they're mad (or cold enough) to do something.
I'm sure there are plenty of Mandy properties going through this right along with us. I hope they'll chime in. There's no excuse for this. One night of no heat if the furnace is truly broken is one thing. Beyond that, it's lack of effort.
What's been done so far:
LCI was called by at least a few tenants.
Housing was called and directed the call to LCI.
Mandy Management has been called numerous (ridiculously numerous) times for several weeks now.
@Guest
Agreed. They shouldn't be in business. From what I'm hearing from a renter on another property, they only do the bare minimum of what they have to do, and even then, you have to apply pressure through LCI, or a similar government department. As many properties as they buy, the huge numbers of tenants in them can actually stop Mandy management from gaming the system if they know they can report these issues, and be heard. More of us need to consistently spread the word. Some folks think they actually have to deal with this blatant abuse of their safety and rights.
@Paula Pen
Thank you for this information. I will definitely make the Fair Housing Commission aware of the heating problems in this building if LCI doesn't force this company into compliance. The LCI inspector who came out actually said a call should be placed to police for immediate attention if there's another heating problem (which there is... not even 5 hours later). If the furnace is actually broken, this company has millions of dollars and can fix it. They could have had this system restored properly in record time if the furnace is actually impacted. Apparently, another inspector was out here a few days ago, but I haven't been able to talk with the tenant who called, so I don't know what she was told.
@Yaakov
Thank you for taking the time to call. Also forgot to mention that the hot water wasn't restored until well after 5, so the children in the building couldn't shower before school, or even right when they got home. Mandy was made aware the hot water went out much earlier in the day. The higher-ups in the company appear to have no problems putting off the correction process. The front desk people are nice enough, but I don't believe they have decision-making authority in the company. If you call at 8 in the morning about no hot water, maybe, you'll have hot water by 3. If the staff doesn't turn on the actual boiler at 3, you may not have hot water until nightfall. Maybe you'll have to call 5 times before they bother to address it, and if it's a Sunday, your call will likely be ignored, and you'll have hot water between 3 and 5 on Monday. Ask any tenant here. It happens all the time.
PowerInNumbers (Registered User)
Not sure how many of us complained, but the heat's come back on. It's after 10 PM. Labeling this as resolved for now. If other tenants in the building have anything to report. Speak your peace. We have the right to safe, habitable housing. A few of us can make a difference, but all of us can ensure this doesn't happen anymore.
Thank you to everyone who voted, offered information, and made calls. It is truly appreciated. SeeClickFix is an important resource.
Closed PowerInNumbers (Registered User)
PowerInNumbers (Registered User)
Update:
Heat went out overnight from sometime after 12:45ish AM thru morning. I turned the stove on warm again to keep the freeze out, and kept room doors open. A tenant or two talked to one of their maintenance people, so it was reported to the company during the night. There is also a tenant saying they called LCI and the maintenance guy called the tenant back telling them LCI told him "unit such and such" called about the heat. The tenant was never called back by LCI, and no one came out to investigate. Not sure if that's how investigation is supposed to work, but it should be documented.
Heat was restored in the morning after the sun came up. Hot water doesn't seem to have gone out during that time. It's doubtful anyone will be reimbursed - unless we take them to court - for the several weeks we've heated our units with stoves while we waited for the heat that is supposed to be included with our rent.
As heat's back again, this post is still closed, but I, and other residents who are proactive and have internet access, will update from the original post (originally posted this on 10/11/2012 it was approved and posted on 10/12/2012).
Yaakov Jacob Komisar (Registered User)
I live on the even number side of Edgewood Ave, so my alderperson is Tyisha Walker. I talked to her about this and she was INCREDIBLY responsive, and she immediately went and spoke with Erik Johnson, the Executive Director of LCI. I highly encourage anyone in the building to be DIRECTLY in contact with your own alderperson as soon as you contact LCI or any other time you have a problem. Your alderperson is Frank Douglass. His email is Ward2@newhavenct.net and his phone number is 203-535-8979.
When we have trouble getting results, the alderpersons are sometimes our best recourse.
CT Livable Streets Campaign (Registered User)
Thanks for posting that info, Yaakov. I agree.
Thank you for the updates, PowerinNumbers. Sorry that you misread my post - I never doubted your claim here, I was just remarking on my own personal reaction which is that any report like yours is extremely disturbing, and the details of it should be immediately confirmed, verified, and addressed by the authorities, without anyone wasting a second. This is a life threatening type of situation.
LegalEagle (Guest)
@yaakov. Why would a tenant call an alderperson for a no heat/no hot water complaint? The alderperson is not going to go to the building and fix anything. @ complainant: LCI has the authority to swear out a complaint against the landlord if they do not provide heat and hot water. That means that the landlord, especially in a scenario where this is repeatedly happening, will get arrested and then you have a legal footprint started to obtain damages. If you are calling LCI repeatedly and they are not doing anything, you should go over their head and make a complaint to the state. There are a lot of city employees that think the buck stops with them, but if they are caught on a state level not doing their job, the city of new haven will lose state funding, and said city employee will lose their job.......in other words, LCI needs to do their job, which means, find the landlord or property manager and turn that heat on RIGHT NOW and make sure it stays on or else. If you do not get anywhere with LCI or the city, go directly to the courthouse to the third floor and ask to talk to the Housing Prosecutor, Judy Dicine. Collecting rent and not providing heat and hot water is not only a quality of life nuisance, it is a crime, and she is obligated to either force LCI to do their job or prosecute the landlord. I hate to be so agressive, but if my spouse and child were living with no heat and hot water, on and off every other week, I would fix that problem but good. Livable City Initiative was introduced over 10 years ago in the city of new haven to take care of simple matters just like this. They are building code officers and their job is to make sure this stuff does not repeatedly happen. If it does, expose them.
Make them do their job, or go right over their heads to the courthouse. The state has low tolerance for people who collect their generous salary and benefits while refusing to do their job, and Judy knows that the law states that if an LCI officer repeatedly goes out to a property and nothing happens, if she is put on notice, the state is responsible. Be agressive and fix this. If these problems are as bad as you say, you have every right to break your lease, sue the landlord for moving costs and loss that you have incurred (had no heat for x number of days, had no water for x number of days). If these problems are happening over and over, you may be able to collect for moving expenses and other stuff. Keep in touch.
Frank (Registered User)