Residents of a Bronx building have had enough after they said they have gone 10 years without cooking gas in their homes — and are fed up with their complaints continuing to fall on deaf ears.
So on Wednesday, they gave their landlord an ultimatum: Either fix the problem, or forget about getting paid rent.
"If there’s no solution, then we are gonna go on a rent strike and we are just not gonna pay rent," said Luis Fuentes, a tenant of the building at 333 East 150th Street in the Melrose neighborhood. "For us to be living in these conditions is not fair, it’s cruel."
He and others who live there are desperate for change, and voiced their displeasure at a rally Wednesday morning. For the past decade, they say they have survived without gas, using makeshift kitchens instead.
Many residents have relied on mini stoves, fully recognizing that it is a risk and a safety hazard to use the butane cartridges it requires. But their families have to eat, she said, even though the current system is costing them a fortune.
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A four pack of the butane canisters costs $10, and are only good to make two or three meals.
"One of these is good for like a meal, for almost a day. It’s not fair we have to constantly buy them, they should be provided by the landlord," said Fuentes.
The building has been in a legal foreclosure process since 2020. The temporary building management appointed by a judge told NBC New York when reached for comment, "I have done everything I can possibly do within my role and responsibilities as Receiver to better the living conditions for the mostly Latino and African American families living in this building."
The court-appointed temporary receiver, Ricardo Oquendo, has been collecting rents and managing the property for the past 10 months. He said that over $500,000 have been invested in emergency repairs, and that he has reached out to property management firms — who have declined to take the job due to what they said are extreme conditions inside the building.
Con Edison crews have recently been working on fixing the gas line issue, but some pipes must still be repaired by building management.
Meanwhile, the circumstances of many years of neglect are horribly extreme. A tour of the building reveals that some units also have major structural issues, as well as leaking bathroom pipes.
Tenants said that if progress is not achieved by the end of April, they will push for a rent strike. They are also asking for a permanent superintendent to take care of emergencies and daily work.
