Let's Hope They Have Cheap Rent

Last Sunday sixty people were evacuated from a couple of buildings at 345 and 347 West 16th Street because of a fire. And then, after the FDNY extinguished the blaze, they discovered that sections of the buildings were crumbling. Now the tenants have to wait till the building's shored up before they can move back in. (What about the pets?!) Now residents are telling the local news that the landlord--Benedict Properties of Great Neck, N.Y., according to PropertyShark--hasn't been providing adequate heat nor hot water. Most tenants won't even speak on the record, fearing retribution from the landlord. According to PropertyShark, there are literally hundreds of building violations for these two properties. Granted, some of them date to 1977, but recent ones include failure to provide hot water, faulty smoke detectors and fire escapes, and "vermin mice" and "vermin roaches." Ah, Chelsea! Good to know you're not totally going yuppie. (Via BlogChelsea, CBS 2) -Matthew Grace