Plainfield landlord blames building manager for deplorable conditions

PLAINFIELD – The owner of the two West 7th Street apartment buildings condemned by the city this week wants to work with city officials to make repairs so the displaced tenants can return to their homes.

In an email Thursday, building owner Charles Aryeh said the goal of returning residents to their homes is “our primary and only concern at this time.”

Aryeh said the owners have severed ties with the company responsible for managing the buildings, including maintenance, fielding complaints from and communicating with tenants.

"This management company was under strict instruction to maintain the building in pristine condition and had been paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in management fees and for responsive and/or preventative maintenance for that purpose. It is apparent that the maintenance for which we paid was either substandard or not done at all," Aryeh's statement said. "At this time we have brought management of the property in-house and have assumed all management responsibilities."

Aryeh said contractors were on site by midday Wednesday to start repairs, and there have been discussions with the city.

"Our hearts were truly moved yesterday and our absolute commitment is to bring the building up to our standards and to get them home as quickly as possible," the statement said. "While there is certainly some major issues to resolve, the vast majority of the work needing to be done is relatively minor and can be fixed in short order."

Families from 49 apartments in the two West 7th Street buildings were displaced Wednesday, a day after the city condemned the buildings. Tenants were initially given 24 hours to pack all their belongings and vacate.

Several media reports indicate some families were offered hotel accommodations for five days and the time to pack their belongings was extended to three days, but the unsafe conditions inside the building prevented them from staying overnight.

Aryeh has not yet responded to a request for information about housing options offered to tenants or whether they will receive any financial compensation, after already paying their August rent.

A large group of displaced residents, including many families with young children, rallied outside City Hall Wednesday, after being notified Tuesday that the two four-story buildings at 501 and 515 West 7th St. had been condemned by the city, with red notices posted at the entrance.

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The Plainfield Public School District is working with the city's administration to assist the displaced families.

"We have offered to open our district facilities for daytime usage and will be providing meals to all that are in need," said Vashon Lamont Hill, the district's chief of marketing and communications. "In addition to this, through the Office of Student Services, the district is developing an action plan to provide support and connection through McKinney Vento Homeless Assistance Act."

The federal act supports the enrollment and education of homeless students.

In addition, Union County is encouraging displaced residents to contact its Services Action Line where staff members are available to direct them to resources, including access to benefits and local nonprofits, according to David Pilmenstein, a Union County spokesperson. He said the action line can be reached at 908-677-5405 or by email at dhsaction@ucnj.org.

"The county is prepared to deploy resources to the affected area as the situation progresses, and is in regular contact with the City of Plainfield and State of New Jersey," he said in a statement.

The city condemned the two apartment buildings Tuesday after inspectors found numerous violations, including mold-like stains in bathrooms and kitchen sinks, water leaks and damage in multiple apartments, holes in ceilings, broken windows, poor ventilation in kitchens, uncapped gas conductors, mice droppings along windows and kitchen counters, a basement sewage pipe with no cap and sewage leaking on the floor.

A state inspection last year discovered more than 200 violations that have not been addressed.

Aryeh said an email account has been established for tenants to correspond directly with the owners to share their individual concerns, and each tenant will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. The email will be monitored 24 hours per day, seven days per week, until all the tenants have returned to their homes. Tenants should write to CycloneTenants@gmail.com where translators are on staff to insure a free and accurate flow of information.

"Although our goal has been and remains to provide safe, comfortable and affordable housing for our tenants, it is now apparent that the previous management company failed to meet the standards that we had established and in so doing created difficult living conditions for our valued tenants," Aryeh's statement said.

Email: srussell@gannettnj.com

Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Plainfield NJ landlord blames building manager for unsafe conditions