Tenants: Know your rights

By Denáe Brewer
Editor-in-chief

Tenants fed up with the lackluster response they’ve been getting from their landlord met last week to find out just what steps can be taken to fix the problem.

In a tenant rights workshop sponsored by Highbridge Community Life Center (HCLC) earlier this month, issues like what to do when the landlord promises to make repairs but never does were tackled.

“Tenants have a lot more say in how their building is run then they realize,” said Ajamu Brown from the Northwest Bronx Clergy and Community Coalition.

Jackie Del Valle, a community organizer for HCLC, finds that to be the case in almost every building she works. “It’s funny, most tenants think they have to live in horrible conditions,” she said. “It’s not the case, they have rights, and everyone should know them.”

Explaining the motivation behind the meeting, Ms. Del Valle said, “This all came about because of one of the buildings we were organizing in. Their building is absolutely deplorable, but the tenants were afraid to speak up in fear of retaliation from their landlord.”

The workshop, which unfortunately generated only a handful of people, was very informative to those who did attend.

“This was great,” said Walter Mathews, a resident of a building on Woodycrest Avenue. “A lot of people from my building are here, which proves to me that they are interested in taking a stand. There’s strength in numbers. The more who know, the better off we all will be.”

The meeting covered the basics of housing rights, from getting repairs done to dealing with housing court. “This is a first step, but an important one,” said Cindy Gomez. “My building is awful. I’m glad someone took the time to explain what I can do to get repairs.”

If you are interested in learning more about tenant rights, contact Ms. Del Valle at (718) 681-5212 or pick up a free information booklet at the HCLC office at 156 West 164th Street.