Jersey City tenants at two buildings with the same landlord, 35 Kensington Ave. and 150 Belmont Ave., are speaking out about unsavory living conditions: “My life is misery.”
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
The tenants at 35 Kensington Ave. have decided to withhold rent on January 1st until the heat is on and code violations are remedied.
The building is rent-controlled and was purchased by the current landlord, the West Hudson Group, whose founder is Amir Ben-Yohanan.
“Almost every apartment in here doesn’t have a shutoff valve for the steam. They put in a new boiler but nobody cleaned the pipes, nobody bled the boiler in 15 years,” Richard Fuentes, a 28-year tenant of the building, said in a statement.
“Half of my ceiling fell down and they did patchwork, those pipes need to be fixed. I’ll tell you one thing: when they had a the super this was a beautiful place. I have to have my own smoke and carbon dioxide alarms.”
In addition to months without heat, the building has went most of the year without a working elevator, severe water damage, apartments with broken appliances – among other things.
The building currently has no superintendent, which violates Jersey City’s municipal code. Tenants suspect the negligent treatment is an effort to force them to move out so the building can be converted into condominiums.
City inspectors from Jersey City’s Quality of Life Taskforce have issued citations to the landlord because of how long they have been without heat.
These citations carry the potential of $2,000 per day in fines. On December 21st, the City of Jersey City offered tenants temporary housing at local hotels.
According to New Jersey Judiciary computerized records, there is a warrant for Ben-Yohanan’s arrest in East Orange for breaking the law in regards to: “superintendents in dwellings,” “hot and cold water,” and “sanitation and safety of dwelling.”
“My life is a misery, I need a psychotherapist. I couldn’t use my kitchen for three months – the stove didn’t work, the microwave didn’t work. I still have no heat. We are looking for a pro bono lawyer because we want to get the building under our own maintenance,” added another tenant, Kate Lamar.
“My neighbors saw me crying, for two weeks I couldn’t move in because the apartment was infested with roaches. There wasn’t a single day in this building without an issue. I get hopeless, they don’t respond.”
Another property owned by West of Hudson, 150 Belmont Ave., is currently without heat and facing numerous ongoing violations of city housing codes.
“Amid the holiday season, during the coldest weekends of the year, where temperatures were well below freezing, families like mine in West of Hudson Properties were without any heat,” stated tenant Colin DeVries.
“Two weeks ago, when temperatures reached 28 degrees, our building didn’t have any hot water. Something needs to be done to truly hold these landlords accountable.”
Joel Brooks, a member of the Northern New Jersey Democratic Socialists of America and an independent candidate for the Ward B council seat, recalled that something similar happened on the West Side two years ago, as HCV first reported.
“This exact same situation took place at 96 Duncan Ave in 2022. Although city ordinances have changed and processes have improved, some landlords still operate with near impunity. This is unacceptable and we stand with the tenants fighting for dignified and safe living conditions.”
Anna Medyukh, a leader with Jersey City Tenant Union, called the current set of circumstances “outrageous.”
“Every person deserves to live with dignity – to have heat, hot water, a pest-free home, and a clean building with a reliable superintendent. These are not luxuries, they are basic tenant rights,” he said.
“It’s outrageous that landlords and management companies continue to treat these necessities as optional – relying on tenant fear, misinformation, and manipulation to get away with gross negligence. Across the country, landlords and management companies are engaging in psychological warfare against tenants through gross negligence, betting that we will either stay silent and pay, or leave so they can renovate and charge higher rents.”
Amir Ben-Yohanan is also the owner of several businesses including 859-869 Communipaw Ave which recently received $30 million in financing, according to The Real Deal.
In 2020, Ben-Yohanan founded the influencer management company, Clubhouse Media Group.
According to a 2021 Daily Mail report, “CMG offers young influencers the opportunity to stay rent-free at so-called ‘content mansions’ in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Europe in exchange for creating branded social media content.”
The influencers, who were as young as 15, say he bullied them, forced them to go on dates, and made misogynistic comments about their periods.
Business Insider reported that Ben-Yohanan sued the teenage girls for defamation for over $2.5 million. CMG was acquired by Tonji Healthcare Group in 2021 and taken public.
The West Hudson Group could not immediately be reached for comment on Tuesday.