Tenants of Manhanttan Chinatown’s 85 Bowery are accusing landlord Joseph Betesh of backing out on his promise to complete repairs by the end of August so tenants can return home.
A rally was held Monday demanding that New York’s Attorney General and District Attorney prosecute Betesh for harassment.
“There are families that live here and want to go home and again they’re telling us they don’t know when that will be. It’s a complete injustice,” tenant Jin Shuo, 38, said to Patch.
A spokesperson for the landlord denies that any agreement between the tenants and Bowery 8385 LLC had been formalized, pointing out that no agreement had ever been signed.
“Weeks ago, we stated publicly that our goal is to complete the necessary repair work at 85 Bowery by end of summer, barring unforeseen circumstances. That has not changed,” a spokesman said to Patch. “At that time, we also noted that no agreement had been signed by either party in this case. That has not changed.”
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