Clinton Hill tenants protest “despicable living conditions”

Tenants of An Apartment Building On Grand Avenue in Clinton Hill gathered today to protest what they call despicable living conditions, NY1 reported. The Brooklyn tenants say they have watched the conditions in the building deteriorate over the years. Some of their grievances include chipped paint, leaky ceilings, broken toilets and holes in the floor. The Department of Buildings has cited the building’s owner for several violations, including doing work without a permit and illegally converting the building from six apartments to eight, NY1 reported. The current building manager, Sam Weinberger, says he took over the building a few months ago and that the majority of the problems were caused by the previous managers. He said that he signed an agreement promising to fix the problems by Sept. 5. They believe he wants the rent-controlled tenants out to eventually get higher rents. Weinberger is now taking the tenants to court because they stopped paying their rent, which they say is because the repairs were never made. They, in turn, plan to take the management to court to make sure their problems are fixed. [NY1]