Tenants of 12 rent-stabilized buildings in northeast Brooklyn want a bankruptcy court to appoint a trustee that would oversee buildings they say are plagued by chronic leaks, mold and infestations, Crain's New York Business reported. The tenants, who rallied yesterday outside of federal bankruptcy court in Downtown Brooklyn, say that they have been failed by the nonprofit that manages the building, Northeast Brooklyn Housing Development Corp. (NEBHDCo.) The dozen buildings are owned by three companies — Park Monroe HDFC, Northeast Brooklyn Partnership LP, and 984-988 Green Avenue HDFC — run by NEBHDCo. The CEO of the nonprofit, Jeffrey Dunston, was named the second-worst private landlord in the city on the Public Advocate’s 2018 rankings, with 1,345 violations among 231 apartment units. Requests for comment from the nonprofit were not immediately returned. The buildings in Brooklyn have blocked fire exits, doors that don’t lock, collapsed ceilings and rats, bed bugs and roaches, tenants say. With the building’s ownership sorting through a chapter 11 bankruptcy, the counsel for the tenants says it is time for a court-appointed trustee to help repair the buildings.
