PACC & 5 Days Rent Pro-Ration

277 Gates Avenue Tenants Association

March 12, 2009


Deb Howard
Executive Director
Pratt Area Community Council
201 DeKalb Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11238

Dear Ms. Howard

In our first meeting with you in December 2005, we discussed the lack of heat in our building. In 2007, the Brooklyn Paper, Model landlord, tenant tough, by Dana Rubenstein, documented that the residents of 277 Gates have not had heat for 2 years. In that article Ms. Howard you admitted to this heating problem. We met with you and Council Member Leticia James in October 31, 2007 and the central point of that discussion was the lack of heat. March 5, 2009 the New York Daily News reported on our lack of heat this winter: Tenants heated, not apts. by Erin Durkin. Twenty out of 34 tenants have stated that they have complained to PACC about the lack of heat and hot water and that they have submitted complaints to 311 since October 2008 (we have a letter sent to you October 23, 2008 about the lack of consistent heat and hot water). Yet PACC management insists that we have only lacked heat for five days in February 2009, and state they have no knowledge of a heating problem outside of those days. Your ‘rent pro-ration’ for 5 days without heat is an insult.

Again the other concerns we would like for you to address:
Security issues:
• Strangers (including sex workers) continue to use the bathroom in the laundry room, we have several unlocked storage rooms, and the back door does not work.
• After having about 5 supers in 5 years, formally inform us who the new supers are and supply them with badges.

Sincerely,

Portia Adams,
President, 277 Gates Tenants Association, Http://277gatestenants.blogspot.com
212 636-6675, 917 627-2415
poadams@fordham.edu

cc: State Senator Velmanette Montgomery
Assembly Person Hakeem Jeffries
Council Member Leticia James
Council Member Al Vann