Court Street tenants file suit against Two Trees

Prominent Brooklyn landlord Two Trees Management is the subject of a lawsuit filed by tenants who are also waging a rent strike, Curbed reported. The class action suit alleges that Two Trees maintains a 25-year tax abatement at 125 Court Street in Downtown Brooklyn, but unlawfully charge higher rents than permitted under its 421-a status. Additionally, the landlord increases rent at a faster rate than allowed by the Rent Guidelines Board, tenants say.

Recent asking rents in the 320-unit building range from $2,000 to $3,750 per month, according to Streeteasy.com

And even those allegedly elevated rents aren’t getting tenants the basic living conditions they say they expect from the building, which first opened in 2007. Many of them claim that water leaks have damaged their apartments, that the appliances in their units are defective and that cleanliness isn’t maintained in the property’s common areas.

“These allegations are completely baseless and have absolutely no merit,” a Two Trees spokesperson said in a statement to The Real Deal. “Beyond that, our focus has been providing the highest quality of service to our tenants and we will continue to do exactly that.” [Curbed]