Statement on Tragedy at Piller-Owned Building in the Bronx

December 8, 2016—Legal Services NYC is horrified by the deaths of two innocent children in their Bronx apartment yesterday. LSNYC has had to file multiple lawsuits against this landlord, Moshe Piller, on behalf of New York City tenants who are living in deplorable and dangerous conditions that he has consistently refused to address, including buckling and collapsed ceilings, vermin infestations, sinking floors, backed up pipes, inadequate heat, hot water, and cooking gas, and a faulty electrical system that caused a fire.

We appreciate the City’s deep commitment to housing families at risk of homelessness. However, the safety of these vulnerable families has to be the highest priority. The City should not house families in buildings whose landlords are being sued repeatedly for their failure to maintain their properties, or in buildings that have hundreds of violations.

When landlords are allowed to systemically neglect properties and refuse to treat tenants as human beings, the consequences can be tragic.

Related:

Tenant Rights Coalition Sues Moshe Piller, #4 on the Public Advocate’s Worst Landlord List 

Brooklyn Tenants Sue Notorious Landlord Moshe Piller for Harassment and Deceptive Practices