From the Times Ledger:For four years, Rego Park resident Kang Yuen and his family have been living in a house that frequently shakes and with noises that sound like a train consistently rolling by in the summertime due to a commercial−sized heating⁄air conditioning unit illegally installed on the roof by Yuen’s neighbors, state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D−Whitestone) and Yuen said.
“In the summer, the air conditioner is on all day, and the house shakes all day,” Yuen said at a press conference Thursday. “I live here with my wife and two children, and we cannot enjoy life.”
Stavisky accused the city Department of Buildings of failing to enforce two stop−work orders issued in 2007 at 65−33 Alderton St., and she called on the city agency to go to housing court and obtain an order forcing the landlord to admit DOB inspectors into the home. Access to DOB inspectors has been denied several times, according to department records.
In addition to the commercial−sized heating⁄air−conditioning unit on the roof, the neighbor in 2005 built a larger addition to his house than he stated he would in plans filed with the DOB and installed a pool too close to the property line, according to DOB records.
4 comments:
This is a new twist - a commercial AC unit. I feel for the neighbors as one can feel helpless and angry - before you know it desperate thing occurs to make the shaking and vibration of your home go away.
The City is ineffective and needs remedys that are quicker and with significant teeth. When attached garages are converted as illegal 2 family basement appartment - the DOB fines the homowner 2k but allows the homeowner to keep the conversion if the homeowner completes the conversion and receives a CO for a 2 family whereas none of these type homes otherwise per code be legally CO for 2 family.
So the DOB actually has a process that legalizes an illegal dewelling - RE offices are pointing to these conversions to clients as probable 2 famiy homes. I live in the midst of legalized, illegal conversion basements - if I were to do this I would be smacked down so hard I would not know what hit me.
You have no idea the corruption at DOB and Housing Preservation. A neighbor of mine alleges that he saw inspectors being given expensive gifts by our landlord.
Life-threatening conditions are tolerated, let alone unpleasant ones. We can only hope that as the economy slows tenants are valued more and these people have a good opportunity to move to something better.
You people are so stupid it's pathetic
What makes them stupid? That they know there is corruption in DOB?
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