Joe Dejesus has stopped counting how often he has patched leaks and repaired walls at the rent-controlled Brooklyn housing block where he works as superintendent.
The community organisation that rents out the apartments had been preparing to install a new roof and heating system, but held off when an investment group stepped in to claim sweeping rights over the property, according to people familiar with the charity’s plans.
Instead the landlord, RiseBoro Community Partnership, is entering the third year of a legal battle with insurance company American International Group over who is the long-term owner of the imposing century-old block.