Though Joel Loutan has earned a nod in the New York Public Advocate Office’s Worst Landlords Watchlist, he has yet to grab a coveted spot on the site’s “50 Worst Landlords” list. After today, however, it’s likely he will.
Bronx Housing Court recently issued an arrest warrant for Mr. Loutan, a landlord who allowed his building to slip into some of the most “deplorable” conditions seen in the city’s housing units. A collapsed roof, rotten wooden beams, leaking walls and defective boilers rank among the property's most prominent features, Crain's reported.
The building at 1514 East 172nd Street—though just four units large—has racked up over 30 open housing code violations. Though the property was placed in HPD’s Alternative Enforcement Program (AEP), which compels owners by law to make the necessary reparations, he has repeatedly defied the city's Orders to Correct. Among those orders included replacement of the roof, re-pointing the exterior walls, re-wiring the entire building, and replacing the heating plant.
But after Mr. Loutan failed to appear in court on numerous occasions to address the charges (his attorney couldn’t seem to find the time either), Bronx County Housing Court Judge Jerald Klein demanded his arrest.
According to Eric Bederman of HPD, Mr. Loutan’s case is only the fifth of its kind in nearly eight years.
2 comments:
only five? the crap comes down from the top- our Republican Mayor, Bloomberg. He's a landlord.
What about the Gerald and David Wolkoff slumlords who own the 5 Pointz site in LIC?
The rats are throwing mid day parties on the garbage left behind by their food and coffee cart tenants.
These 2 absentee landlords don't give a rat's ass for anything but their rent checks remitted on time.
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