Residents of an apartment complex in Bloomfield spoke out at the Capitol Friday, in an effort to call attention to poor conditions at their residence and what they say is a failure by the property owner to address complaints. A group of over a dozen people from the Manor House Tenants’ Union held a press conference with Rep. Bobby Gibson, D-Hartford, and representatives from the Connecticut Tenant’s Union, a tenant rights group that has 18 chapters across the state. The Manor House tenants said their housing complex doesn’t dispose of garbage adequately and has frequent sewage problems. There isn’t enough parking for tenants and many of the units are ridden with mold, they said. “Everybody has a different inconvenience that we are dealing with,” said Morrison Hughes, chapter vice president of the Manor House Tenants’ Union. The event comes as lawmakers are once again grappling with the complicated political question of how to best regulate the relationship between landlords and tenants. Legislators have proposed several bills this session, notably one that would largely ban no-fault evictions that typically occur at the end of a lease. Landlord groups say that bill, H.B. 6889, would make it difficult for them to evict problem tenants, and they say it interferes with their personal property rights. But tenants argue that one of the reasons people often face no-fault eviction is because they’ve asked for repairs, like those requested in Bloomfield, and their landlord retaliates. Many tenant union members and leaders have faced no-fault evictions after complaining about living conditions. Lawmakers are also considering a bill that would require all towns to have fair rent commissions. These town-level commissions can hear complaints about unfair rent increases and poor housing conditions. Often, these cases come in the form of a landlord who wants to raise the rent and tenants who dispute the increase, saying repairs haven’t been made. “A lot of the issues with rent increases and lack of adequate living conditions are reflected across the state,” said Hannah Srajer, President of the Connecticut Tenant’s Union. “We hope that elected representatives know their responsibility to their constituents means giving tenants what they need to live fuller lives.” The tenants’ union movement has been growing in Connecticut over the past few years. The unions operate similarly to labor unions, and tenants collectively bargain for better housing conditions and against rent increases. Friday’s press conference was the latest show of that growth, which has resulted in more political power over the past couple of sessions as tenant union members have shown up in droves to speak at public hearings and talk to legislators. Luke Melonakos-Harrison, vice president of the statewide tenants’ union, said the group is channeling its energy towards advocating for H.B. 6889, which would expand tenants’ rights by making landlords give a valid reason for eviction or release of a tenant from a property. “We wanted to put a lot of our energy into something we thought we could feasibly win this year” he said. Residents at Manor House originally tried to address the issues directly with the landlord. After they had seen no change they decided to take actions into their own hands. The Manor House chapter was formed in July of last year in response to ongoing issues with the apartments. During the press conference, Rep. Gibson expressed sympathy with the residents of Manor House and said he would continue to aid their ongoing fight for better apartment standards. He said has had a conversation with Navarino Property Group, which owns the complex, to ask them about poor conditions at their properties. Justin Goldberg, founder and principal with Navarino, did not respond to an emailed request for comment. Julian Alleyne, a Manor House renter who co-leads the tenants’ union there, said he started noticed the issues with mold, garbage disposal, sewage and poor drainage last year. “They are treating families like dollar signs. It is a problem,” he said. Hughes, of the Manor House union, said he felt a sense of responsibility to work to improve conditions for his fellow residents. “Whatever we accomplish today extends far beyond [us],” he said. ...read more read less