Tricky situation as a tenant in section 8 program.

[Sarah Tanner]

Hello Everyone,

I realize that this forum is mostly for landlords, and how to evict a tenant is the most asked question here, but I really hope someone can give me the opposite advice: how can my 94-year-old grandma stay in her apartment.

The story is very long but I will try to be as short as possible.

My grandma lives in this apartment (in Brooklyn, NY) for about 20 years, first she paid rent, then she received the Section 8 program. At the time that my grandma received Section 8, the apartment was sold but the new landlord allowed my grandma to stay but asked her to pay $40 more (monthly) than she was supposed to as per Section 8 requirement. My grandma pays her rent (plus $40 extra) on time every month.

The new landlord never put a penny into this apartment. It’s not just outdated, it is in a very bad shape where cabinet doors are kept in place by scotch tape. When there is something that should be fixed, my grandma calls the building superintendent and pays him out of her own pocket.

A month ago, the apartment didn’t pass the yearly inspection. The superintendent was in the apartment at the time of the inspection and was told that everything is fine, but nonetheless my grandma received a letter where seven problems were listed as needed to be fixed. While three out of seven problems listed are fixed, the other four worked/were in place at the time of the inspection but were listed as faulty in the letter. I visited my grandma today and double checked that those four listed problems are in working condition.

As you know, when inspections fail, the landlord is supposed to fix the listed problems, sign the letter that was mailed to her by the Section 8 office and send it back to them. When the superintendent fixed everything and called the landlord, she told him that she doesn’t care, and that she is not going to sign anything and now wants to just sell this apartment. When my grandma tried to reach her landlord afterwards, the landlord changed her phone number.

I would really appreciate any advice regarding this situation. I live in another state and I am not sure how to resolve this issue over the phone. I knew that my grandma receives section 8 but knew nothing about the details. All conversations with the landlord regarding section 8 my grandma did herself and paid every penny to her landlord in cash. Just today I found out that my grandma paid her landlord ~5K (in cash of course) when she agreed to take section 8.

I am hopeless and don’t know what to do! Landlord got 5K plus $40 extra each month, never put a penny into the apartment by fixing anything and now disconnected her phone and ‘doesn’t care’ what is going to happen to my grandma! And we don’t know her address! My grandma only knew her phone number that is now disconnected.

For anyone that will advise to take in my grandma or place her elsewhere, she does not want to move. She is hoping to live out her years in this apartment.

Any thoughts?