SUNNYSIDE, Queens (PIX11) — Dozens of displaced tenants and elected officials are set to rally against A&E Real Estate on Tuesday morning in Queens.
Nearly 200 people have been out of their homes since December of 2023, when a fire destroyed the apartment building at 43-09 47th Ave. in Sunnyside.
The FDNY determined the cause of the fire was the illegal use of a blow torch to try to remove lead paint in one of the apartments.
Brett Gallaway, an attorney representing 178 of the tenants, told PIX11 News that “we’ve given A&E every benefit of the doubt, we’ve given them the carrot in terms of affording them multiple opportunities at mediation, and now it’s time to give them the stick and get this trial ready.”
More than half of the units in the building were rent-stabilized, meaning tenants were paying for the below market rate. Gallaway added, “A&E could potentially have an incentive should rent stabilized tenants lose interest, move, or die.”
Last month, Mayor Mamdani announced a $2.1 million settlement with A&E Real Estate for violations in 14 other buildings it operates across three boroughs.
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Lauren Koenig, who lived in the building for fourteen years, told PIX11 News, “I want to call on our Mayor to get involved because this is something he stood for, and this is the perfect case of seeing how these scumlords are basically ruining lives.”
The Mayor does not have the tenant rally on his public schedule for Tuesday.
A spokesperson for A&E Real Estate responded to PIX11 News’ request for comment, saying:
“Since the day of the fire, we have taken every possible step to rebuild the building. Sadly, the insurer has shown zero interest in paying out claims despite its obligations and is preventing the building from being rebuilt.
“Let us be clear: if it were up to A&E, we would start rebuilding this property tomorrow. We know how challenging this has been on our residents, which is why we offered every impacted household a new apartment in our portfolio at their existing rent, even if it came at a loss to A&E. While we did so, we also provided financial support for essentials and paid for hotel accommodations. We have always put our residents first.
“We look forward to working with all counsel, elected officials, and other stakeholders to compel the insurer to meet its obligations and let our residents get back into their homes.”
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