Closing Bell: State Investigates Crown Heights, Flatbush Landlord for Tenant Abuse

A recently created state agency is investigating and has subpoenaed a Brooklyn landlord said to be abusing tenants and flagrantly violating rent laws in Crown Heights and Flatbush, Governor Cuomo announced today. The landlord, Yeshaya Wasserman, owns and manages eight properties in the areas with a total of 181 units.

A preliminary audit of agency records showed that Wasserman frequently registered rents as $2,500, regardless of what the rents had been before, to allow the landlord to claim the units were no longer rent regulated, according to a press release sent out by the governor. The audit also showed that Wasserman may have deregulated apartments while simultaneously receiving a J-51 tax abatement, “which mandates that apartments remain rent-regulated,” said the statement.

Tenants at one property, Homewood Gardens, at 651-667 Brooklyn Avenue, 652-668 Brooklyn Avenue and 416-444 Hawthorne Street, said Wasserman had failed to cash rent checks, did not provide heat and hot water, pressured tenants to leave their homes, took them to court for “frivolous” reasons, and doubled and tripled the rent soon after he purchased the property.

Wasserman also owns 803 Nostrand Avenue in Crown Heights, pictured above, 864 Nostrand, and 1155 East 35 Street, among others, according to public records, although they were not mentioned in the release.

Tenant Protection Unit was created last year for the purpose of enforcing New York State’s rent laws.

Photo by Nicholas Strini for PropertyShark