Decline At Greer’s Edgewood “Village”?

by Christopher Peak | Jun 29, 2018 1:34 pm

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posted by: Gretchen Pritchard on June 29, 2018 1:57pm Sad situation. You can tell which houses are part of the “village”—they are all painted in variations of the same color scheme: brick red, sage green, and two shades of tan. It’s been a real boon to the neighborhood as they have been fixed up in this attractive mix of colors, and mostly rented to young families with children. I hope there will be an outcome that will preserve the positive achievements while rooting out the exploitation and corruption.

posted by: NHPLEB on June 29, 2018 2:08pm Since when is being a landlord of slum-like properties a “non-profit” enterprise worthy of government money???? Oh , the Aldermen approved it?? Without asking any questions??

That explains it. More legislative acrobatics by the inept representatives in New Haven. Greer is a big time slumlord, not even considering his legal problems, and should not be receiving money to continue to devalue the areas he is in. PS—- tenants—you don’t like an apartment ? Here’s what you can do—- move out! Vote with your feet . I love how tenants stay and complain (and probably don’t pay). A dumpy free apartment is better than paying; no?

posted by: kevinmacd on June 29, 2018 2:54pm For the whole story on the Goat and not just this obviously one sided fluff piece one should go to https://larrynoodles.com/ to get the truth on this sexual monster

posted by: 1644 on June 29, 2018 3:36pm Look for a new place. In the meantime, pay your rent into court, 121 Elm St, 2 floor:

Conn. Gen. Stat. Sec. 47a-14h. Action by individual tenant to enforce landlord’s responsibilities. Payment of rent into court. (a) Any tenant who claims that the landlord has failed to perform his or her legal duties, as required by section 47a-7 or 47a-7a or subdivisions (1) to (13), inclusive, of subsection (a) of section 21-82, may institute an action in the superior court having jurisdiction over housing matters in the judicial district in which such tenant resides to obtain the relief authorized by this section and sections 47a-7a, 47a-20 and 47a-68. No tenant may institute an action under this section if a valid notice to quit possession or occupancy based upon nonpayment of rent has been served on such tenant prior to the institution of an action under this section or if a valid notice to quit possession or occupancy based on any other ground has been served on such tenant prior to such tenant making the complaint to the agency referred to in subsection (b) of this section, provided any such notice to quit is still effective. BTW, my wife and I put plastic sheeting over our windows. Windows in an old house will leak. If it bothers you, plastic sheeting is a partial solution. It does not affect life or safety, just comfort, and possibly, your heating bill. Or, move to a newer house. Plumbing leaks, both of supply and soil drains, are another issue and should be dealt with post-haste.

posted by: Paul Wessel on June 29, 2018 3:36pm Be interesting to know if the City is pursuing State of CT receivership for the non-profits here: https://portal.ct.gov/AG/Press-Releases/2014-Press-Releases/State-Granted-Courtappointed-Receiver-for-Amistad-America-Inc. I don’t know if the issues rise to that level, but might be a strategy to preserve this housing,

posted by: robn on June 30, 2018 7:35am Ordinarily I’d be appalled at the state giving assistance to a child molester but in this case if the money is tightly funneled into property improvements it’s for a good cause because these assets seem to be clearly headed toward liquidation to pay the civil judgment. Greer clearly doesn’t think so and should be watched like a hawk lest he abscond to Panama. BTW did the judge laugh or get angry or both when Greer proposed an 8,000 year payment plan?

posted by: 1644 on June 30, 2018 10:18am My cat would love Kelley’s apartment. Does the lease allow cats? Other than un-neutered males, they usually cause little damage and can cure a rodent infestation.

posted by: Nassahegon73 on July 1, 2018 8:21am We also rent from Edgewood Village. We have the same problems as Kelley but they are not quality of life matters such as a sewage backup or moldy drywall. Our cats keep the mice at bay. The landlord’s pet policy is very lenient. There are currently more animals than people living in our building.

posted by: 1644 on July 1, 2018 6:09pm “Last year, they pulled in $2.68 million in revenue and sent out $2.77 million in expenses.”

So, the reality is that there isn’t any money to take care of repairs. Perhaps the 990 would show high salaries to Greer, but more likely rents just aren’t high enough to generate the revenue need to maintain the places. There may also be vacancy problems, perhaps from empty apartments that need repairs. I sounds like the complexes need a new, better capitalized owner who can make repair the units before they can be rented for prices which will support their maintenance.

As for the “retaliatory” evictions, it sound like they have a sound legal basis. If you want to stay in your place (a) pay the rent on time, and (b) get a lease. If your lease is ending, either negotiate a new one or be prepared to move if the landlord brings and action. Without a lease, you don’t have a right to stay.

posted by: EPDP on July 1, 2018 6:54pm The Greer buildings have had problems for many years. More now than in the past but the buildings always looked good on the outside, as Greer kept up the high fences and the exteriors well painted, but on the inside the conditions were deplorable. They have had bat problems in the school building, and the big building diagonally across the street, going back 20 years. I still remember going to the synagogue and seeing son Ezi Greer chasing the bats with a net attached to a long stick. With the Greer political connections the City didn’t scrutinize them as much as they should have. Now that the true Daniel Greer has been exposed his friends and cronies in City Hall have all scattered like roaches. His political donations must be way down, so he must have some money stashed away somewhere. Pike and Mandy are for profit corporations and pay full real estate taxes to the City. Greer doesn’t do section 8 housing, his non-profits pay a very reduced rate in taxes to the City. It would be better if the Greer properties were owned by Pike and Mandy, at least the City would get taxes out of them, it’s bad enough that Yale, the biggest real estate owner in the City, is exempt from paying most real estate taxes. The amount of foregone taxes from Yale and Greer would easily give the City a budget surplus.

posted by: Bill Saunders on July 2, 2018 1:18am “Tax Breaks for Child Molesters” no one has ever said ever!

posted by: cunningham Can anyone confirm the tax status of Edgewood Village/et al properties? I rented from them for years. They’re far from the worst landlords in town, but these problems don’t surprise me — always been curious if they pay their fair share to the city.

posted by: Sabrina-in-NewHaven on July 2, 2018 8:31pm This is not a sad situation this is a deplorable and reprehensible situation. Using Federal funds to bail him while not my favorite solution does mean that people who are long-time tenants do not have to uproot themselves and their families just to convenience the landlord. If everyone moved out, he’d have no incentive to make repairs. Unfortunately, there don’t seem to be many strong tenant groups any longer. People are only interested in profits are do not think long term. Don’t plan for the replacing of rooves, upkeep of boilers or the abatement of mold, water damage etc. Or provide monthly extermination for that matter. This man simply does not care. I worked and lived in NY long enough to know that when you have a great landlord you stay put. When you have a crappy landlord you call 211 and file complaints. Inspectors show up or call within 48 hours. How this man was allowed to pile so many disgusting violations and allow his tenants to live this way is so typical I am not even shocked. This is a reflection of New Haven as well. And for those of you so callous as to say, “if you don’t like your landlord, move…” is missing the bigger picture. Landlords are required to keep your deposits in escrow. When you move, even if you get that money back is still may not be enough to cover those expenses much less the person/family be able to pay higher rents than what they are paying now. Please keep your privileged comments to yourself. Management companies are no better. They work for the landlord, not you. So when you call, you get voicemail, just ringing phones or you just get the runaround and there is no paper trail. Luckily some buildings can be taken over by affordable housing non-profits who rehab homes and improve quality of life. When large repairs are needed they can partner with a construction company allowing those companies to take tax credits as part of the incentive to help. What is not helping are blaming tenants.

posted by: 1644 on July 3, 2018 2:20am Sabrina: CT is not NYC. Renting an apartment doesn’t give you the right to stay as long as you want, but only as long as your lease says. It’s not a long-term arrangement, When your lease is up, you should be ready to move. The end of the lease means both tenant or landlord can break the relationship, no reason needed. Of course, landlords generally want to keep good tenants, i.e., tenants who pay on time (the 1st, not the 10th), take good care of the place and don’t create nuisances (loud parties, etc.). I have never heard of once-a-month exterminators. Yes, I get mice, but traps or a cat will take care of them. Being clean also helps with insects, as will some simple spraying. For major problems, if your lease is still good, pay rent into court.

As far as “non-profit” landlords being the solution, the landlords in this article are non-profits. The problem is that the rents charged did not cover expenses, including setting aside funds to cover roof replacement, etc.

posted by: NHPLEB on July 3, 2018 6:45am @Sabrina- the abuse of the tax code to subsidize the rental business is why Greer should not have been collecting the benefits of a “non-profit”. A real non-profit’s goal is to provide decent quality housing for people. Most landlords go into the business to MAKE MONEY; some are slumlords but most are not.

A tenant has all the protections of the law and the final freedom to move if they are unhappy with their unit. That is not a privileged comment. It is a fact. A landlord has very few protections and must follow the law precisely; a tenant can wreck an apartment with almost no consequences—the landlord keeps the security??? Big deal when the landlord has to sustain thousands in damage , lost rent, court costs, and the potential lose of other tenants. Tenants can cry poverty to the judge at an eviction; they would laugh at the landlord because all landlords are believed to be rich. Some people resent that they must pay rent to a property owner. And let us never forget that the biggest slumlord is New Haven is our very own Housing Authority so go picket their offices.

Speaking an opinion is not privilege. Refusing to listen to another point of view smacks of the snowflake mentality—“you can’t say anything that I disagree with because that would upset me.”

posted by: ElmCityAle on July 3, 2018 6:09pm I can offer some late, but relevant comments from someone who was interviewed for this story. Regarding this quote in the article: “Grudberg said the rabbi has five and a half full-time staffers taking care of the properties. They’re on top of the problems, along with licensed outside plumbers and electricians.” Perhaps technically correct, but the real story is that there is nobody with significant real estate management experience managing the properties since the departure of Ezi Greer. Not to demean the hard working people involved, but they are all in over their heads in this situation. The maintenance guy is incredibly hard working, but the amount of outstanding work is beyond him and the help he gets from another hard working younger guy that is new. Regarding this comment: “The problem is that the rents charged did not cover expenses, including setting aside funds to cover roof replacement, etc.” Without seeing the private details, it’s pure speculation on anyone’s part regarding the finances of the non-profit corps running the housing, but there are reasons to believe there has been plenty of income diverted to other “causes” than maintenance of the properties for many years. For example, the school appears to have always been supported by some income from the rentals. What’s missing from the article: where is LCI in this mess, especially considering they performed site inspections of these properties last month (after being twice pushed off for several months in total)? And why does LCI seem to be so inconsistent in such inspections? I had to practically drag the inspectors to see the specific problems with this property. Their default inspection was to check a single smoke detector for working batteries and a few others visually - and not much more. Yet, from people that manage other properties, I’ve heard stories of units failed by LCI for cosmetic issues. How can this be explained?

posted by: jim1 on July 5, 2018 9:55am Paul you must not like my comments. Some times they might be a little toooo much. Thanks for not printing those. jim

posted by: Sabrina-in-NewHaven on July 6, 2018 9:26am Wow! go away for few days and come back to such drivel @1644 I know but New Haven needs to get it together. They clearly were not monitoring these buildings. Nonprofit holders must submit all kinds of reports in NY and apparently here in New Haven it’s a free for all. However, the damage this article speaks of is external. Did you not read it? @ AMDC I am well aware of how nonprofits should operate being that I consult with many. I’ve worked for many nonprofits and in housing management so I am also aware of how expensive it is to be a landlord. I also know how annoying and destructive tenants can be. It is not the fault of the current residents that there is damage to these properties correct? Please explain what rotting steps, sewage back up and boilers in need of replacement have to do with the tenants? The issue is that this pedophile is also a slum landlord. He’s selfish. He’s holding to ownership and it’s pathetic. As to my original statement which seems to have all your panties in a bunch. I SAID WHAT I SAID!!!!

These tenants deserve better. Period. Debating what current tenants deserve to talk about people who are abusing the system is not going to get you anywhere. I can coach you on how to present a better argument if you’d like.