Matter of Department of Hous. Preserv. & Dev. of the City of N.Y.

2022 NY Slip Op 34924(U)
CourtCivil Court Of The City Of New York, Kings County
DecidedJune 6, 2022
DocketIndex No. 561/2017
StatusUnpublished

This text of 2022 NY Slip Op 34924(U) (Matter of Department of Hous. Preserv. & Dev. of the City of N.Y.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Civil Court Of The City Of New York, Kings County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Matter of Department of Hous. Preserv. & Dev. of the City of N.Y., 2022 NY Slip Op 34924(U) (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2022).

Opinion

Matter of Department of Hous. Preserv. & Dev. of the City of N.Y. 2022 NY Slip Op 34924(U) June 6, 2022 Civil Court of the City of New York, Kings County Docket Number: Index No. 561/2017 Judge: Jack Stoller Cases posted with a "30000" identifier, i.e., 2013 NY Slip Op 30001(U), are republished from various New York State and local government sources, including the New York State Unified Court System's eCourts Service. This opinion is uncorrected and not selected for official publication. FILED: KINGS CIVIL COURT - L&T 06/07/2022 09:42 AM INDEX NO. LT-000561-17/KI NYSCEF DOC. NO. 45 RECEIVED NYSCEF: 06/07/2022

CIVIL COURT OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF KINGS: HOUSING PART Q ‑‑‑‑‑‑‑----------------------------------------------------‑ X In the matter of the application of

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING PRESERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK,

Petitioners, Index No. 561/2017

For a judgment pursuant to Article 7A of the Real Property Actions and Proceedings and Law, appointing a DECISION AND ORDER Court-designated administrator for the premises known as: 138 Wyckoff Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, 11222 Block 03270, Lot 0035 (Kings County). ‑‑‑----------------------------------------------------------‑ X PRESENT: HON.: Jack Stoller Judge, Housing Court

The Department of Housing Preservation and Development of the City of New York

(“HPD”), the petitioner in this proceeding, commenced this proceeding seeking the appointment

of an administrator of 138 Wyckoff Avenue, Brooklyn, New York (“the subject premises”)

pursuant to RPAPL §769 et seq. (“a 7A Administrator”). Wyckoff Heights Properties LLC

(“Respondent”) appeared and interposed an answer as owners of the subject premises. The

Court entered into an order to correct (“the Order to Correct”). HPD then moved for the

appointment of an administrator. The Court held a hearing on HPD’s motion on March 22,

2022, May 9, 2022, and May 19, 2022.

Background

The Court entered into the Order to Correct on November 20, 2017. The Order to

Correct identified Respondent as the owner of the subject premises and directed Respondent to

correct outstanding violations of the subject premises, as detailed in an exhibit to the petition

(“the Scope of Work”), on or before May 19, 2018. The Scope of Work details a need for

electrical upgrades, a repair to the cellar, a replacement of a waste system, broken wood floors in

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the kitchen, broken VCT tiles throughout, mold in Apartment 3R, rotten joists, and a replacement

of the intercom system. On default, HPD reserved the right to move for the appointment of a 7A

Administrator. HPD made a motion before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic that was

apparently not adjudicated by the time of the pandemic. HPD subsequently moved for the same

relief. By an order dated November 16, 2021, the Court granted HPD’s motions to the extent of

referring the matter for trial.

The trial record

The parties stipulated that Respondent owns the subject premises. HPD submitted into

evidence a reports showing the results of an inspection from HPD. They showed, inter alia, a

“C” violation for mold in the bathroom of Apartment 3R and a “B” violation for broken floor

tiles in the kitchen of Apartment 3R.1

Vazgen Mikaelian (“the Manager”) testified that he is employed by the 7A unit of HPD;

that he is the construction project manager and has been for seven years; that he inspects the

properties; that he inspected the subject premises according to the Order to Correct on March 10,

2022 and March 21, 2022; that two apartments, 3L and 3R, are occupied in the subject premises;

that he visited those two apartments on his visit to follow up on the Order to Correct; and that he

inspected the subject premises from the roof to the cellar, including public hallways.

The Manager testified that HPD’s inspections of the subject premises of Apartment 3L

found that top cabinets were not replaced; that a bottom cabinet was replaced; that the cabinet

doors malfunction and do not close properly, creating a health and safety hazard and creating

problems for food disposal; that the faucets are in an acceptable condition and are not leaking;

1 A class “A” violation is “non-hazardous” pursuant to N.Y.C. Admin. Code §27-2115(c)(1); class “B” violation is “hazardous” pursuant to N.Y.C. Admin. Code §27-2115(c)(2); and a class “C” violation is “immediately hazardous” pursuant to N.Y.C. Admin. Code §27-2115(c)(3). Notre Dame Leasing LLC v. Rosario, 2 N.Y.3d 459, 463 n.1 (2004).

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that the shower body needs to be replaced because it is leaking and dripping water; that leaking

can lead to water damage and a mold condition; that the toilet sink and bathtub fixtures were not

replaced; that the toilet is off-level and he could see signs of leaking and a crack on the toilet

base; that the sink was replaced; that the sink is back to original condition, water-damaged and

detached from the wall; that the sink was not installed correctly; and that the waste lines leak,

which erodes the wood cabinet under the sink.

HPD submitted into evidence the following photographs all taken in Apartment 3L on

March 10, 2022: one of the kitchen cabinets, depicting doors that cannot close; one of the faucet

in the sink, which does not show an apparent problem; one of the vanity, which is peeling, one of

the tub showing some discoloration, and one of the bedroom floor, which depicts ruptured tiles.

The Manager testified that the tub was not replaced; that the condition of the tub was

rusty; that he saw paint chipping; that floor joists were not replaced; that they needed to be

replaced because the floor was sinking and not level; that when the floor is uneven the fixtures in

the bathroom and kitchen sink down with the floor, which causes a break in the pipes and

leakage; that the floor joists hold structural weight; that “VCT” stands for “vinyl composite

tiles”; that VCT were replaced in the bedrooms on top of existing joists and plywood, which has

created cracks and peeling and a defective condition; that he saw the VCT in the bedroom; that

the VCT was installed on top of a defective subfloor with sinking joists, which caused the

condition to return; that VCT’s were damaged and cracked; that the joists were supposed to be

replaced in order to level out the floor and stabilize it; that he could feel the floor moving; and

that the floor is sagging and cracking throughout the apartment.

HPD submitted into evidence the following photographs taken of Apartment 3R on

March 10, 2022: one of discoloration in the seal between the toilet and the floor; two of the tub

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with what looks like water damage, mold, and discoloration; one of defective wall tiles depicting

a gap between the wall and the tub; kitchen floor tiles with a crack in them; and a shower with

mold around a window.

The Manager testified that the toilet in Apartment 3R is not a new toilet; that he could see

cracks on the toilet base and signs of leaking; that the tub is defective and rusted; that the rust

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Related

Notre Dame Leasing, LLC v. Rosario
812 N.E.2d 291 (New York Court of Appeals, 2004)
Oyola v. Combo Creditors, Inc.
64 Misc. 2d 727 (Civil Court of the City of New York, 1970)

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Bluebook (online)
2022 NY Slip Op 34924(U), Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/matter-of-department-of-hous-preserv-dev-of-the-city-of-ny-nycivctkings-2022.