Tenants Deem New York Landlord Negligent After Apartment Fire in Hamilton Heights

An allegedly negligent landlord in New York City is finding himself in hot water yet again. Several families displaced by an apartment fire in New York are filing suit against their landlord alleging that he was negligent in repairing the building and that negligence has prolonged their financial hardship. The building, located at 512W. 136^th Street, was first brought to the attention of a judge in March when tenants filed multiple complaints about unsafe conditions at the apartments and their inability to return home. At that time, the court ordered the landlord to make repairs by a certain dates-all of which were ignored.

Since the apartment fire in Manhattan, several families have been living in nearby hotels and homeless shelters, unable to go back to their homes. Many suspect the building manager, Mark Lovinger, is deliberately putting off doing the repairs to allow the rents-some as low as $600 for a three-bedroom apartment-to destabilize.

Now residents-some of whom who have lived in the apartments since the 1970s-are taking Lovinger back to court alleging that the negligent landlord in Manhattan has had more than enough time and more than enough opportunity to bring the apartments back to livable conditions.

Negligent landlords in New York City seem to be in the news more and more often recently. Their disregard for the safety and well-being of their tenants can lead to accidents causing severe injury. Similar cases have resulted in deadly apartment fires, unsafe stairwells and poorly maintained rooftop water tanks that make residents sick.

Landlords when failing to provide a safe environment for their tenants can expose themselves to legal liability. Residents have the legal right to sue for monetary compensation when landlords disregard their duty. If you’ve been injured or have become sick as a result of a landlord’s failure to maintain or repair the building , contact an expert New York City negligent landlord attorney today. Call the Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel for a free consultation at or 212-385-1122 to learn your rights.