The Legal Aid Society represents a family of ten who resides at 540 Van Nest Avenue in the Bronx. The family faces eviction as their landlord, Jagjit Hora, has refused to renew their lease, as reported by the New York Daily News.

They previously lived in a local shelter and secured their home through the CityFHEPS housing voucher program, which paid Hora an advance of over $15,000.00 for six months of rent. Upon moving in, the family discovered that Hora had divided the unit and rented part of it to another tenant. Hora also refused to provide essential services such as hot water, cooking gas, and heat. The tenants complained to the City about the lack of essential services, and their complaints eventually led to a housing proceeding against Hora in which the court ultimately ordered him to pay a fine of $2,500.

After the tenants’ complained about repairs, their one-year lease expired and the Hora refused to renew it, subsequently filing a holdover eviction lawsuit – a proceeding unrelated to non-payment.

Upon further investigation, Legal Aid attorneys discovered that Hora also owns six other non-regulated apartments and has brought at least six holdover proceedings in buildings where tenants have complained about lack of services and conditions.

Legal Aid is calling on lawmakers to enact “Good Cause” which would give tenants basic protections against harassing tactics employed by landlords, including frivolous eviction lawsuits and exorbitant rent increases. 

“Millions of New Yorkers currently reside in unregulated apartments, and it’s both bad policy and morally unacceptable that these tenants are deprived of any protections to defend against unscrupulous landlord tactics,” said Margarita Gomez, an attorney in the Bronx Housing Office at The Legal Aid Society.

“It’s especially problematic that current law essentially allows landlords to retaliate with impunity against tenants who protest deplorable living conditions,” she continued. “this is a key reason why Albany must enact ‘Good Cause’ eviction legislation this session.”