I Fought the Landlord, and the Landlord Won

[xchrom]

http://www.villagevoice.com/2012-07-18/news/i-fought-the-landlord-Moshe-Samovha-Maria-Montealegre/

Moshe Samovha holds the 12th spot on Public Advocate Bill de Blasio's worst landlords in Manhattan watch list. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development cites Samovha with 226 violations (including 84 of the most dangerous "C Class" variety), all for one building: 1985 Amsterdam Avenue. Since 2001, the city has spent more than $11,000 via the Emergency Repair Program to fix Samovha's property under dire circumstances.

An elusive figure difficult to track down, he spells his name "Samouha" on some official documents and "Samovha," "Samovah," and "Samova" on others. The Voice also learned that he has lied to the city about where he lives and where his managing agent can be found.

This is a landlord who has acted with impunity for decades, content to let the city repair his boiler in winter while taxpayers pick up the tab, for example.

The city has been powerless to keep Samovha from operating a slum.


Maria Montealegres bathroom.

With the help of the Mirabal Sisters Cultural and Community Center in Hamilton Heights, Maria Montealegre, an undocumented, single mother of four, was the only tenant to voice concerns about the dreadful state of her apartment at 1985 Amsterdam Avenue. What she got instead was a restraining order against her landlord after he assaulted her. She now faces eviction and homelessness.
Read about Maria Montealegre's fight in Araceli Cruz and Steven Thrasher's feature, "I Fought the Landlord, and the Landlord Won."
Photos by: Arlene Gottfried

[HiPointDem]

1. kr. but the city isn't powerless. it just chooses not to use its power.

[Trillo]

2. Fascinating

"Samovha receives about $400 a month directly from Housing Rental Assistance for Montealegre's four kids"

[xchrom]

3. yeah, that kinda catches your eye doesn't it? nt

[Trillo]

4. Seems like a disincentive to rent to childless folks. NT

[dionysus]

5. that's common. it's subsidized rent. where i live they call it section 8. it's a feature of the

welfare program where the city will pay the rent of the person in the program. instead of giving it to the person, they pay the landlord directly. it's not based on number of kids here as far as i know

[xchrom]

6. I think it's the condition of his buildings

& the subsidy.

Not that he's subsidized.
Which is fine if you ask me.

[HiPointDem]

7. but it shows that the city/state could just revoke his right to receive section 8 payments. or

condemn his buildings as substandard housing.

but they don't.

[xchrom]

8. absolutely.

as usual -- the poor and what they are subjected to are ignored.