Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam, on Monday, announced a crackdown on what he described as “problem landlords.”
Arulampalam directed the city’s Licensing and Inspections Division to prepare to refer the GreyHill Group to the State’s Attorney’s Office for prosecution, referencing housing ordinance violations. The city said the landlord is obligated to make needed repairs to its Sherbrooke property.
The referral names Moshe Bloorian of Great Neck, New York; Jacob Herskowitz of Englewood, New Jersey; Yeshaya Cohen of Lakewood, New Jersey; and Hillel Tropper of Brooklyn, New York.
Arulampalam also announced a list of the top three problem landlords in Hartford, saying the disclosure is part of an ongoing commitment to hold landlords accountable.
“Over the last several months, a working group consisting of officials from development services, public health and public safety have met regularly to develop this list of problem landlords,” said Arulampalam. “We will continue to focus our energy, our personnel and our resources on holding bad landlords accountable and paving the way for good landlords to make meaningful investments in our neighborhoods. If you’re not willing to shape up, it’s time to ship out.”
The list includes:
PAXE properties
This New York-based company lists Aron Puretz as principal and owns 24 buildings in Hartford with 357 residential units. The properties were purchased between September 2021 and August 2022, and have accrued more than 50 violation notices from the city’s housing code, blight remediation and building departments.
Multiple PAXE properties have been evacuated for unsafe conditions, and the city has made emergency repairs in several properties, according to Arulampalam’s office.
Thirteen PAXE properties are in foreclosure or receivership due to enforcement actions by the city and its departments.
Moshe Grossbard of New York
Grossbard is principal of several limited liability companies holding problem properties, according to Arulampalam. The companies have been cited for housing and building code issues, including working without permits, and issued citations and liens for unpaid fines.
Whitehead Estates LLC
The New York-based company lists Lamor Whitehead as principal. The company owns 48 residential units in two Hartford properties, 24 of which were condemned by the city, requiring tenant relocation, due to no heat or water, according to Arulampalam.
Arulampalam, on Monday, pledged the city would continue to provide oversight of the problem landlords and properties, and offer updates to tenants. He encouraged tenants to contact the city’s 311 helpline to report unsanitary, unhealthy or neglectful living conditions.
