Six New York apartment complexes will be forced to repay tenant after they failed to return the deposits despite the tenants being qualified to receive refunds, according to an announcement Friday from New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
The settlement will repay former tenants for lost deposits from six apartment complexes in Liverpool and Syracuse that were managed by Abraham Mendlowitz, the president of AIM Properties Management Corp. and AIM Properties Corp. Former tenants will receive $13,983.50 in restitution, and $15,000 will go to the state of New York for the cost of the investigation.
“Lease agreements require obligations of both tenants and landlords alike,” Schneiderman said. “Just as tenants must pay their rent on time, landlords must meet their duties, including returning security deposits and abiding by the law. I am committed to standing up for tenants when they are treated unfairly."
State law gives tenants the right to have deposits returned, plus interest, if an apartment complex has more than six apartments. Tenants of these six complexes also received threats of power being shut off to the building due to management not paying bills.