{"id":298219,"date":"2026-07-16T23:08:57","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T23:08:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/298219\/"},"modified":"2026-07-16T23:08:57","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T23:08:57","slug":"tenants-battle-rodents-mites-and-rent-hikes-at-pinnacle-owned-riverside-apartments-in-brooklyn-heights-brooklyn-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/298219\/","title":{"rendered":"Tenants battle rodents, mites and rent hikes at Pinnacle-owned Riverside Apartments in Brooklyn Heights \u2022 Brooklyn Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"

The iconic brick Riverside Apartments in Brooklyn Heights were built in by philanthropist Alfred T. White in 1890 as a model of tenement reform.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

At the time, the tenements many working-class people called home were crowded, dark and dangerous. White\u2019s buildings were comfortable and safe; the apartments, while small, had multiple bedrooms, unlike the single-room dwellings in most tenements. Most importantly, they were affordable for workers.<\/p>\n

Now, residents at Riverside say the buildings have fallen into disrepair, and that their landlord \u2013 the infamous Joel Wiener of the Pinnacle Group \u2014 is trying to raise rents and push them out of one of few rent-stabilized complexes left in the neighborhood.<\/p>\n

Riverside residents face crumbling buildings, rent increases<\/p>\n

At a July 15 rally, tenants described issues from crumbling staircases and leaky ceilings to infestations of rodents and mites. One resident recently learned the landlord is behind on Con Edison bills, and that power will be shut off in common areas later this month \u2014 though they noted that many of the lights in the shared stairwells don\u2019t work anyway.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe landlord has consistently harassed tenants and reduced essential services, leading to the building\u2019s neglectful decay,\u201d said tenant Hew Evans.
\n\"riversideThe Riverside Apartments at the corner of Columbia Place and Joralemon Street. Photo by Kirstyn Brendlen\n<\/p>\n

Leaks in Jean Campbell\u2019s apartment have caused the walls and ceilings to crumble, she said. Campbell, who has lived in the building since 1973, at one point rigged up a plastic tarp to catch falling chunks of plaster. She described staying up all night during a particularly bad storm to empty the bucket she used to catch rainwater pouring in through a leaky front window.<\/p>\n

Campbell was among the residents who formed the Riverside Tenant Association. In 1992, the building\u2019s previous owner illegally paved over the center courtyard to turn it into a parking lot. In 2000, after years of efforts from the TA, the state ordered the landlord to remedy the issue and said rents would be frozen until the courtyard was fixed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Records show that Pinnacle purchased Riverside in 2002 for just over $9 million. In 2024, the company restored the courtyard and successfully petitioned the state\u2019s Department of Homes and Community Renewal to lift the rent freeze.<\/p>\n

The agency\u2019s decision allowed Pinnacle to raise rents and to demand back rent from tenants whose payments had been frozen for decades. Suddenly, tenants said, they were facing rent increases of up to 100-400%, plus back rent. Pinnacle has since taken 22 residents to housing court for nonpayment of rent, and is suing them for up to $30,000 each, said Council Member Lincoln Restler.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"pinnacleResident posted signs and photos of conditions inside the buildings. Photo by Kirstyn Brendlen<\/p>\n

\u201cPinnacle does not get to profit from decades of neglect,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cWe want safe housing and fair rents, not evictions. This is a rent stabilized building, which makes their conduct even harder to justify. 30 years of neglect is not to be rewarded with a rent increase.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Riverside Apartments spans several addresses on Columbia Place and Joralemon Street, which can make tracking violations and remedies difficult, Restler said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

City records show that one building, 10 Columbia Place, has 67 open violations from the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, including dozens from this year alone. In July, the building was cited for broken bathroom faucets, a defective self-closing fire door, missing or broken smoke detectors, and infestations of mice and roaches.<\/p>\n

During a visit on July 15, Brooklyn Paper observed broken light fixtures, water damage and worn-down stairs in the building\u2019s shared hallways and stairwells.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In one unit \u2014 whose tenants asked not to be named for fear of retaliation \u2014 floors and walls were visibly damaged, and the bathtub had been worn down in places to the black cast-iron. Residents said rodents enter the apartment from under the stove and said the radiator both steams and smokes during the winter months.<\/p>\n

\"waterCeilings in the shared outdoor hallways were broken and patched in several places. Photo by Kirstyn Brendlen \"bathtub\"The tub in one unit was worn down to the cast-iron. Photo by Kirstyn Brendlen<\/p>\n

Farhia Hagi moved to Riverside with her now 14-year-old daughter during the pandemic, she said. At the time, finding a rent-stabilized unit was a relief.\n<\/p>\n

But she and other residents regularly deal with issues like brown water in the tub and shower. Her daughter has gotten so used to seeing mice that she\u2019s begun to name them, Hagi said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cShe shouldn\u2019t have to get used to having mice in the house,\u201d Hagi said. \u201cA solution I was given: get a cat. Get a cat. So now I have to get a new mouth to feed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mice and rats bring mites, tenants said. Evans, who has lived at Riverside since 2024, noticed the bugs in his apartment in late April.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cOutside of a rodent\u2019s nest, these mites will infest any fabric surface: your clothes, your furniture, your bedding, your toys, and the mites can only be removed by professional extermination because it requires the removal of both the insect and the host rodent,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Their bites start itchy and become painful, pus-filled welts, he said. When he called building management, they first claimed the bugs did not exist. When an exterminator finally arrived, they performed the wrong treatment, which was ineffective against the mites.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Resident Farhia Hagi said she and her daughter deal with mice and brown water in their unit. Photo by Kirstyn Brendlen<\/p>\n

Months later, the issue has continued despite orders from HPD. Since April, Evans said he has spent more than $1,000 on hotel stays, laundry, medical care and pet boarding as a result of the mites.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At least one resident \u2014 who sent a letter to be read at the rally, but did not want to be named \u2014 moved out because of the mites, after spending $4,000 on treatments, laundry and hotels.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Department of Buildings has also issued violations for various buildings at Riverside. In 2023, Pinnacle \u2014 operating as Joralemon Realty NY LLC \u2014 was fined for \u201cfailure to maintain building in code compliant manner,\u201d at 30 Columbia Place. The fine is still outstanding, records show.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Two years later, the company received a $5,000 fine for failure to maintain building walls at 24 Joralemon St. DOB records show that inspectors found severe damage to the brickwork and noted that the metal balconies were severely corroded and at risk of falling onto the sidewalk.<\/p>\n

Pinnacle files to convert to condos<\/p>\n

Last year, Pinnacle filed a preliminary plan to convert Riverside Apartments into condominiums. While the plan is for a \u201cnon-eviction\u201d conversion, residents and politicians warned that the move is likely another way to force tenants out.<\/p>\n

Most tenants can\u2019t afford to buy their unit as a condo, Evans said, and would remain in their stabilized units \u201cas is our right.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cOur buildings will most likely be controlled by a sponsor designated by Pinnacle Group, who we expect will continue to intimidate our rent-regulated residents to vacate their apartments through corrupt buyout agreements, open harassment, and intentional neglect,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon said tenants and politicians have been fighting Pinnacle for nearly 20 years, showing a letter her predecessor wrote to the state regarding Riverside Apartments in 2007.<\/p>\n

\"tenantTenants and pols criticized Pinnacle owner Joel Wiener. Photo by Kirstyn Brendlen<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is somebody who categorically has waged war on their tenants for decades, and now they\u2019re trying to convert to condominiums and making believe they can just do that,\u201d she said. \u201cThey are engaging in a well-known pattern, a longstanding pattern, common among people who are doing that sort of thing, and that is to harass people. To fail to repair, to make people want to move out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pinnacle tenants across the city have long dealt with serious issues, from mold<\/a> and sewage leaks to broken ceilings and windows. Earlier this year, the company sold more than 5,000 rent-stabilized units<\/a> in a bankruptcy deal after racking up thousands of housing code violations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat [Wiener] is doing is despicable, and I\u2019m grateful that he\u2019s been forced to sell two-thirds of his portfolio,\u201d Restler added. \u201cBut this man should no longer be a landlord in New York City. He has demonstrated that he is not a good steward of our tenants, and we should force him out of every single damn piece of property that he owns.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fight moves to the courts<\/p>\n

\u201cOur attorney confirmed yesterday that the courts must now decide two things,\u201d said TA member Kathleen. \u201cFirst, whether DHCR was correct to approve that rent increase at all. And second, if the increase is not overturned, whether conditions in this building warrant rent abatements for tenants instead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pinnacle argued against the restraining order, claiming in a court filing that tenants had \u201cunlawfully refused to pay the restored rent\u201d after DHCR lifted the freeze and stopped paying rent altogether after the company took them to housing court.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAny alleged harm claimed by Petitioners is self-inflicted, caused solely by their deliberate flouting of the Rent Restoration Orders and their breach of their obligation to pay their rent, as restored,\u201d the filing reads.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Randi Gilbert, lawyer representing Pinnacle in the case, said she and her client \u201cdo not have anything to add to what has been stated in the litigation proceedings at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"riversideRiverside Apartments tenants are trying to get DHCR to overturn the rent increase. Photo by Kirstyn Brendlen<\/p>\n

Restler said he has been in touch with HPD to try to enforce more frequent and strict inspections at Riverside. He and Simon are planning to meet with DHCR in the coming weeks, they said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most important issue is this is somebody who\u2019s trying to get out of rent stabilization by harassing people,\u201d Simon said. \u201cIt\u2019s just clearly illegal under many many laws, regulations, city, state, federal, absolutely illegal. So we\u2019re not going to let this guy get away with illegal action and harass people out of their homes, so that he can make a buck.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the interim, some residents \u2014 and Restler \u2014 called on City Hall to help.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Mayor Zohran Mamdani visited<\/a> a Pinnacle-owned building in Brooklyn on his first day in office and attempted to intervene in the bankruptcy sale to ensure the units sold went to a responsible owner. Though the effort failed, the city\u2019s involvement in the case appeared to influence the buyers\u2019 pledge<\/a> to forgive back rent and make significant repairs<\/a> within months of the sale.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMamdani, we need you, you talked about this \u2026 we need more,\u201d Hagi said.\n<\/p>\n

Restler said the Mamdani administration has shown a \u201cmore concerted effort\u201d to address poor living conditions and hold landlords accountable. If necessary, the city has the ability to take Wiener to court or appoint a 7A administrator<\/a> to take over the building and make repairs, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"riversideSome tenants are being sued for nonpayment of rent in housing court. Photo by Kirstyn Brendlen<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we are seeing from this mayor a willingness to be more robust and aggressive in taking on bad landlords, this is a prime example of where they can show up and fight back with us to deliver much better conditions for the tenants, which we desperately need,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As the rally wound down, one observer asked tenants if they would agree to a \u201cmodest\u201d rent increase if Pinnacle agreed to finish all needed renovations.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThat question troubled me because why should regular people have to pay back corporations?\u201d Hagi said. \u201cWe\u2019re just regular people asking for something fair. We\u2019re not asking for you to turn it into a luxury apartment,\u00a0 we\u2019re not asking for the latest and greatest. We\u2019re asking for staircases that our elderly don\u2019t trip on, water that our kids can bathe in. That\u2019s it, regular.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The iconic brick Riverside Apartments in Brooklyn Heights were built in by philanthropist Alfred T. White in 1890…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":298220,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[433,98,100,99,1168,2907,5322,4524,3100,3075,22925,9,24,12,370,63,4521,7153,107110,566,113454,113455],"class_list":["post-298219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-affordable-housing","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-con-edison","tag-housing","tag-jo-anne-simon","tag-joel-wiener","tag-lawsuit","tag-lincoln-restler","tag-mayor-zohran-mamdani","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-news","tag-newsletter","tag-nyc","tag-pinnacle-group","tag-rally","tag-rent-increase","tag-rent-stabilization","tag-riverside-apartments","tag-riverside-tenants-association"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=298219"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298219\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/298220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=298219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=298219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=298219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}