NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Andrew Di Schino, the Managing Director of Multifamily Rental Management for FirstService Residential, in an email sent to City of New Rochelle officials over the weekend, has claimed a tenant deliberately damaged a garage door that secures access to a private parking lot at The Printhouse.
The claim of tenant sabotage may be an attempt to deflect a warrant letter issued last week against The Printhouse ownership by Judge Jared Rice.
The Printhouse has been cited by the City of New Rochelle for numerous building code violations over the past several months and has previously attempted to blame tenants for dangerous conditions in the building.
The Printhouse was a “no show” at two court appearances in the past two months, one on September 21 and the other on October 19. Judge Rice Court ordered a warrant letter to be issued to The Printhouse ownership.
In a meeting on September 28 with City Manager Charles B. Strome, New Rochelle Police Commissioner Robert Gazzola, Building Bureau Deputy Commissioner Paul Vacca, organized by New Rochelle Corporation Counsel and Acting Development Commissioner Kathleen Gill with Megalith Capital Management Vice President of Operations & Sales & Marketing Lexie Hearn, representing ownership of The Printhouse, was told the City would not subsidize ownership’s failure to maintain the building in a safe condition and was going to revoke the building’s PILOT tax benefits worth about $4 mm off the value of the building which has been for sale for about a year.
The latest incident comes just days after another FirstService Residential employee claimed a tenant has been deliberately sabotaging the building.
A control box on the side of the building, in the parking lot, was left hanging by wires and cable after an unidentified person unscrewed the mounting brackets, according to this employee.
Days later, the same FirstService Residential residential employee said an unidentified person inserted a piece of metal into the keyhole of the door securing the parcel room rendering the door inoperable, preventing tenant access to packages and mail.
“Someone is sabotaging the building,” the employee said bitterly. “I’m going to find them”.
He said he tried but was unable to identify the person on the building’s CCTV camera system because the system does not work properly. All three areas where incidents are alleged to have occurred are within range of CCTV cameras which appear to be non-functional.
The claims of sabotage of the building by tenants follow two recent incidents, weeks apart, where two large casement windows became detached from their hinges and fell six stories crashing into the same parking lot where the garage control box and garage door were damaged by a tenant, according to the building management company.
In a “Dear Residents of The Printhouse” email on September 29, Di Schino said “the cause of the window issues is related to the removal and/or defeat of the window restrictors that are furnished with every window in the building”.
He warned, “Tampering with or removal of the window guards is prohibited, and doing so is a violation of the terms of your lease agreement”.
The building opened in August 2019.
No window casements ever became unhinged or fell off the building over the first two years until 6 days after FirstService Residential took over building management from Greystar Real Estate and Property Management on July 1, 2021 in what employees from both companies said was a deeply acrimonious transition orchestrated by Megalith Capital.
DiSchino said “as a result of the past incidents noted above, the building will be having every window in the building inspected and any missing or damaged guards replaced as needed with tamper-resistant fasteners. Dates for this will follow in a future communication so as to allow for sufficient time for all Residents to schedule accordingly.”
No such communication has has been sent to all residents and no building-wide inspection of every window has taken place let alone been scheduled. Neither window has been repaired and replaced.
According to New Rochelle Police, a third FirstService Residential lied to police about access to CCTV video sought in relation to a criminal investigation of Fred Clarke, a tenant and employee of the New York Department of Corrections who threatened another tenant that he would go get his service weapon and fire it in the lobby of The Printhouse.
The New York State Attorney General’s Office opened an investigation of The Printhouse for illegally demanding prospective tenants pay more than a one month deposit and pet deposits both of which were outlawed in 2019.
UPDATE 11/4: after the “in” garage door was fixed on 10/31, the “out door” was broken on 11/3 and remained wide open on 11/4. More sabotage by Printhouse tenant(s)?
I have a story if you’re interested about 60 West 1st Street in Mount Vernon New York owned by Titus Mount Vernon LLC the property manager pulled a gun on me and threatened to put me out because I was calling the buildings department and hit my lease got arrested took a plea deal in the company never terminated him as property manager
Perhaps a judge will need to do this if orders to correct problems are not heeded.
https://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/30/nyregion/landlord-sentenced-to-two-years-in-jail-for-lack-of-repairs.html
Well… the Printhouse ownership was cited by the building department then failed to appear in court twice so now there is a warrant letter.
I have a multi-page list of problems.
The only solution is new ownership which might be in the cards.
Sounds like a horror show