Tenants of Notorious Landlord Ved Parkash Demand Repairs, Accessibility, and Accountability 

Queens, NY – Tenants at 89-20 161st Street in Queens rallied this week to demand urgent repairs and accountability from Ved Parkash, who once topped the “worst landlord in New York City” list. Despite multiple court orders and legal efforts, Parkash has failed to provide basic building services—including functioning elevators. Elderly and disabled tenants have been left stranded, and in one recent case, the FDNY had to rescue an 82-year-old woman trapped in the elevator. These failures come amid broader concerns: Parkash’s buildings have a long history of fire hazards, including a recent Bronx fire that displaced 300 people due to faulty wiring. 

Photos and video of the event can be found here. 

Tenants launched a rent strike at the beginning of the year to protest the building’s unlivable conditions, which include mold, chronic leaks, lack of heat and hot water, rodent infestations, and dangerous electrical systems. Many of these issues have gone unresolved for more than a decade.  

At the rally, tenants, joined by tenant organizers and legal advocates from Legal Services NYC, renewed their demands for immediate elevator repairs or replacement, fully accessible building entry, consistent heat and hot water, pest control, and urgent apartment repairs. They are also calling for a rent abatement until conditions are finally brought up to code. 

Tenants are also urging the Community Preservation Corporation (CPC)—which now holds the building’s mortgage—to take the property out of Parkash’s hands and transfer it to new ownership. Ideally, tenants say, the building should be owned by residents themselves or a trusted community-based organization. CPC became the lender after Signature Bank collapsed last year and has already begun foreclosure proceedings against Parkash. 

A contempt hearing is scheduled for May 1.