Latest news with #tenants
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Unhinged NYC doomsdayer terrorizing Manhattan neighbors is blasting porn, yelling about end of the world
An unhinged doomsdayer is allegedly making life hell for his Gramercy Park neighbors — blasting pornography out his window, ranting about Jews, and shrieking about the end of the world. William Zimmerman's behavior has been erratic for over a decade — but it's gotten so unbearable his landlord is asking a court to give him the boot, according to a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court claims Zimmerman, 34, is accused of spitting and urinating in the hallways of his East 21st St. apartment building, threatening another tenant's dog, pilfering packages, and using racial and antisemitic slurs –along with 'threats of mass harm' against tenants, the suit claims. The apparently unemployed tenant has so far created $75,000 worth of damage in his 13 years in his rent stabilized pad, including allegedly creating a water leak in his second-floor bathroom that continues to damage apartments below, claims the May 16 lawsuit. In addition, he blared videos or audio on a speaker 'of what sounded like people being murdered with audio of women screaming for their life and gun shots' after shrieking, 'We will all be killed tomorrow,' according to the suit. Several tenants have even asked to break their leases because of Zimmerman, the landlord claimed in the suit. One former tenant said life in the building was miserable. 'We put up with a lot for a very, very long time,' the person, who moved out in 2021, told The Post. 'I felt I had no other choice but to move.' Another tenant recalled how 15 to 16 NYPD officers evacuated the building several years ago after Zimmerman barricaded himself inside his apartment. 'I think they got his father on the phone to try to talk him into opening the door,' the ex-tenant said. 'They were yelling through the door for him to come out.' The NYPD reported fielding 46 911 calls 'for various reasons' from the building within the last three years. None resulted in criminal charges for William Zimmerman, who has never filed taxes, according to court records. The building's owner and landlord, Apartment Management Incorporated, has tried since 2012 to evict Zimmerman and his father, Frank, who first leased the pad in 1968, records show. In previous legal filings arguing his 'succession rights' to the apartment, William Zimmerman has blamed his erratic behavior on 'depression,' saying he was treated at Bellevue Hospital in 2011. The landlord settled a lawsuit with Zimmerman three years ago in which he agreed to behave, but he has failed to abide by any of those terms, according to the court papers. The suit seeks monetary damages as well as an injunction barring Zimmerman from remaining in the apartment. Neither Frank nor William Zimmerman could be reached for comment.
CBC
2 days ago
- General
- CBC
Fire at Yellowknife's Franklin House apartments started in AC unit
Social Sharing The City of Yellowknife says a fire at a downtown apartment building early Friday morning caused minor injuries to one tenant. In a news release Friday, the city says the Yellowknife Fire Division (YKFD) responded to a report of visible flames on the third floor of Franklin House on 48 Street at 2:07 a.m. "Crews acted swiftly, applying water to suppress the fire," it said. Firefighters extinguished the fire in the affected unit and were able to contain it to that unit. "One tenant sustained minor burns but did not require hospital transport," the release said. "All tenants were able to return to their homes within an hour and a half of YKFD's arrival on scene." It was determined that the fire originated in a window-mounted air conditioning unit. It's not considered suspicious, so the fire marshal won't be conducting a formal investigation.
CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Subsidized rent arrears in Nipissing top $2M amid inflation crunch
The District of Nipissing Social Services Board faces over $2 million in unpaid rent from subsidized tenants, a $200,000 increase from 2023. Officials cited inflation and other strains on fixed-income households as the main cause.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Minneapolis Overhauls Civil Rights Law: What Employers Must Know
The amended Minneapolis Civil Rights Ordinance, No. 2025-022, significantly broadens protections for ... More job seekers, employees, students, tenants, and others who interact with institutions operating in the city. Minneapolis employers must prepare for sweeping new civil rights obligations taking effect August 1, 2025. With protections extending to individuals with criminal histories, unstable housing, or nontraditional body types, the city's latest ordinance makes inclusive hiring a legal mandate. The amended Minneapolis Civil Rights Ordinance, No. 2025-022, significantly broadens protections for job seekers, employees, students, tenants, and others who interact with institutions operating in the city. For employers, the most consequential change may be the addition of 'justice-impacted status' to the list of protected classes, prompting a fresh look at how criminal background checks are used in hiring. The amendments to Minneapolis Code of Ordinances Chapter 139 expand the city's civil rights protections across a wide spectrum of activities, ranging from employment and education to lending, housing, and public accommodations. For employers, the most notable changes include: These new classifications join an already expansive list of protected characteristics, which includes race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and familial status. The ordinance now prohibits discrimination in application, hiring, training, benefits, compensation, promotion, and discharge, and even extends protection to decision-making influenced in part by a protected trait. Perhaps the most significant change for employers is the ordinance's treatment of justice-impacted status, a novel term created by the Minneapolis City Council. For the first time in Minnesota, a local law prohibits adverse employment actions based solely on a candidate's or employee's criminal history, unless the employer can demonstrate that the history is reasonably related to the duties of the position. This means employers may not automatically reject applicants or discharge employees due to arrests or convictions. Instead, they must conduct an individualized assessment, considering six factors: Importantly, arrests alone cannot be the basis for adverse action. However, employers may evaluate the facts surrounding a pending charge or dismissed case and apply the six-factor analysis to determine whether adverse action is warranted. Employers hiring into Minneapolis must now follow a two-step approach when evaluating criminal history. Step one is timing. Under Minnesota's 'ban-the-box' law (Minn. Stat. § 364.021), private employers may not inquire into or consider a candidate's criminal history until the applicant has been selected for an interview, or, if no interview occurs, until after a conditional job offer has been made. This law has been in place since 2014 and applies statewide, with exceptions for roles where background checks are mandated by statute. Step two is substance. Once criminal history is lawfully obtained, Minneapolis's new ordinance applies, requiring an individualized assessment. Simply complying with state law is no longer sufficient. Minneapolis employers must now justify adverse decisions under a local legal standard requiring an individualized assessment. Together, these laws create a layered compliance framework: the state dictates when you can ask about criminal records; the city dictates how you must use them. The ordinance closely tracks the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC's) 2012 guidance on the use of arrest and conviction records under Title VII. That guidance similarly discourages blanket exclusions and encourages individualized assessments that consider the nature of the offense, its recency, and its relevance to the job. Although EEOC guidance does not carry the force of law, its framework has informed civil rights legislation across the country, and Minneapolis's ordinance has codified these best practices as enforceable legal mandates. For the first time in Minneapolis, employers are now prohibited from discriminating against job applicants or employees based on height or weight. These protections extend beyond objective measurements to include perceived characteristics, such as being considered too short, too tall, too heavy, or too thin. The ordinance recognizes that body size bias, while often unspoken, can significantly shape employment decisions and workplace culture. Employers may assert a narrow affirmative defense if height or weight prevents someone from performing essential job functions, and no reasonable accommodation is available. This requires documented, case-specific analysis, not assumptions. Organizations should update job descriptions, reassess accommodation protocols, and train decision-makers to avoid biased reasoning tied to appearance, uniform policies, or health programs. The ordinance bars employment discrimination based on housing status. Applicants experiencing homelessness or unstable housing may not be disqualified due to lack of a permanent address. Employers must avoid using housing status, such as listing a shelter or motel, as a proxy for professionalism or reliability. Screening tools that flag ZIP codes or address history should be evaluated to prevent inadvertent bias. This provision reinforces a central civil rights tenet: opportunity should depend on qualifications, not living conditions. In addition to anti-discrimination provisions, the amended ordinance heightens employers' responsibilities to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnancy-related limitations and sincerely held religious beliefs. Employers may not require pregnant workers to take leave if accommodations would allow them to continue working. They must also engage in a good faith interactive process, denying requests only when they would cause undue hardship. Religious practices must be accommodated unless doing so imposes a significant burden. The updated language mirrors national trends toward more individualized, evidence-based accommodation decisions. The ordinance also updates definitions of existing protected characteristics. 'Race' now includes traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles like braids, locks, and twists. 'Familial status' extends to individuals caring for someone unable to manage their own physical health or make independent decisions. 'Disability' now includes impairments that are episodic or in remission, provided they would substantially limit a major life activity when active. Employers should also note changes to how the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights (MDCR) handles complaints. If MDCR finds no probable cause, the complainant may now appeal the decision to a three-person review panel, which must include one licensed attorney. The panel may reverse MDCR's decision only if it finds the ruling was 'clearly erroneous.' In addition, MDCR may no longer dismiss a charge based on lack of evidence or the 'interests of justice,' suggesting a greater likelihood that charges will proceed to investigation. With the ordinance taking effect on August 1, 2025, now is the time for employers to prepare: Employers doing business in Minneapolis, or with remote employees working from within the city, should view these changes as a call to action. Through Ordinance No. 2025-022, the City Council has made it clear that inclusive hiring is no longer aspirational. It is a compliance imperative.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
I'm an old-school landlord – the future of the rental market terrifies me
Have a question to ask The Secret Landlord? Email secretlandlord@ It struck me today, as I was organising a batch of electrical certificates (rental properties must have electrics checked every five years), how all my tenants are the same ones I rented to when the contractor last visited five years ago. In fact, for two thirds of the properties, they are the same tenants as when I received the previous certificate 10 years ago. Electrical certificates were not made law until 2020 for new tenancies, and 2021 for existing, but I've been carrying out these checks for much longer than that. I may not have been required to by law, but seeing as, by law, I've been required to provide safe accommodation, it's something I've always done. Something else that I've always done is use the same contractor for the same properties. It may not sound competitive, but I value customer service over saving a few pounds, and it's worked very well for me. Of the properties I manage myself (I operate a hybrid model whereby I self-manage some and have agents for others), I give the tenants the contractors' contact details and urge them – if faced with an issue – to contact the contractor directly. In my 21 years of being a landlord not one tenant has ever abused this system. Considering the trust I've built up over the years with my tenants, I was struck by how much trust has been eroded from the rental sector while reading about rental supply being at an all-time low. With the exodus of what the Americans call 'mom and pop landlords' – the likes of most smaller-scale British private landlords – tenants are now being forced to stump up thousands of pounds for purpose-built shells from large corporates. It makes me feel very old-school, and sad. As a portfolio landlord, I know I'm in the top percentile in terms of the number of properties I own. But whether you have 100 or one, I think the reasons for providing accommodation to someone, in return for rent, doesn't really change: it makes you feel good. I know that line of thinking flies in the face of many people's views of landlords, and successive government policies designed to destroy the sector, but bear with me: being a landlord is a good thing. I enjoy helping people out. I like fixing problems – I was called by a tenant who's broken a tap while writing this! I adore my properties, and I love that people are able to build their lives and stay with me for many years. I enjoy that we can have a relationship, for want of a better word, and that when times get tough (I've had tenants die, divorce and get into debt), I can point people in the right direction. But it's not just practical stuff. Tenants with private landlords can also benefit from the little nuggets of an area we get to know – which doctor's surgery is the best, the new bars that have opened, which streets are best avoided. The stuff no corporate call centre staff will ever grasp, no doubt because they've likely never visited the place, let alone have any knowledge of the ins and outs of the actual property. Of course, I also know my tenants should probably buy their own place at some stage. But I think we can often lose sight of the fact that's not something that suits everyone, and renting a property is an option that should be made available to most people – should they want to. What terrifies and angers me the most about where the rental market is heading is how expensive and corporate this whole sector is becoming. I remember a time when if you wanted to rent a hovel for a pittance, you could. It may not have been much, but at least it would have been a roof over your head in return for not much money. Those days are gone. It shows the impact of regulations on improving the sector, which is a good thing – but at what cost have these changes come about? You see, every improvement has to be paid for in some way, and that, dear reader, only ever leads to higher rents. Over the past few years, I have sold a lot of properties. It wasn't really that I wanted to, but the changed tax law on Section 24 and upcoming EPC changes meant I had to reevaluate my business. It's been a difficult time, but an enlightening one. I had the choice – I still have the choice – to sell everything, but I don't. Being a landlord is a right pain at times, but it's also a rewarding lifestyle and investment choice. This year I celebrate 21 years in the landlord business and honestly, I can't think of anything else I'd rather do with my life.
