PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Irene Metaxatos, Rent Stabilized Tenant from East Village
2:35:15
·
3 min
Irene Metaxatos, a long-time rent stabilized tenant in the East Village, testified in support of stronger legislation to protect tenants from predatory landlords and baseless evictions. She shared her personal experiences of harassment and neglect from her landlord, Mark Scharfman, who owns approximately 140 rent stabilized buildings in New York City.
- Described multiple eviction attempts by her landlord in 2007, 2015, and 2023
- Detailed a severe sewage flooding issue in her apartment that lasted for months without proper attention from the landlord
- Emphasized the need for stronger legislation and enforcement to prevent continuous baseless evictions and tenant harassment
Irene Metaxatos
2:35:15
you.
2:35:17
I'm used to it.
2:35:18
Thanks for the opportunity to testify.
2:35:21
I am a long time rent stabilized tenant in the East Village.
2:35:25
I wholeheartedly support any and all bills that support tenants from predatory landlords.
2:35:29
There's a desperate need for stronger legislation to stop landlords from being able to carry through baseless evictions and to continue to harass tenants.
2:35:39
My landlord, Mark Scharfman, owns roughly a 140 rent stabilized buildings in this city.
2:35:46
He bought my building in 2,005, then tried to evict me in 2,007, in 2015, and just last year in 2023.
2:35:55
They usually slap their fraudulent notices on my door before and during holidays, then adjourn and adjourn the court dates.
2:36:04
I'm currently waiting for housing court judge's decision on eviction proceedings brought against me last year in November.
2:36:13
From March 2023, my apartment was unlivable due to repeated sewage floods from an improperly plumbed Frankenstein duplex apartment above.
2:36:23
This affected all the apartments in my line eventually because the landlord chose not to address it for 5 months.
2:36:30
We had to call the fire department multiple times because Beach Lane management ignored our calls and emails during the flooding and to address conditions that lasted for months afterwards.
2:36:43
Imagine sewage coming up into your sink and bathtub, coming down through light fixtures, shorting electricity, making holes in the ceiling, streaming down the walls of my kitchen and bath, and not stopping.
2:36:56
I was left alone with these conditions for months months.
2:36:59
The land ordinate did not address the source of the sewage flood and ignored tenants called for help.
2:37:05
Calling HPD, DOB, and DHCR did not force the landlord to address the problem sooner.
2:37:14
This slick duplex apartment was created from 2 rent stabilized apartments that had Mickey Mouse Plumbing.
UNKNOWN
2:37:21
Thank you.
2:37:22
Your time has expired.
Irene Metaxatos
2:37:26
Not sad.
Lincoln Restler
2:37:27
Do you
Lucy Joffe
2:37:27
want me to
Pierina Sanchez
2:37:28
Do you wanna summarize?
Irene Metaxatos
2:37:31
I just think that that landlords have been given just free rein to to bring evictions that are baseless and continuous and that city agencies really don't prevent it from happening.
2:37:44
He's on the list, and he's done it quite a few times.
2:37:47
And I feel like legislation is too weak.
2:37:50
And it it you know, he is a greedy landlord.
2:37:53
He's he has lawyers downtown that continuously are there for whatever whatever they want.
2:37:59
You know?
2:38:00
And they will do it over and over again because it's just too easy.
2:38:03
So you're dealing with after evictions happen, but I'm the before, you know, and I've withstood countless, countless times based on nothing.
2:38:11
I was taken to supreme court as well where they tried to overturn a DHCR, whatever.
2:38:22
Anyway, so I do have more to say, but okay.
