BLIND ITEM....WHICH LOCAL REAL ESTATE AGENT....

Subject: Bedbugs

Sadly, a moving truck was outside 349 St. Johns this weekend. If you walk past the building, you'll see a ton of furniture with the word "bedbugs" spraypainted in red paint. I think these are the third tenants to move out in a month. The unidentified real estate broker (guess who?) continues to knowingly re-rent apartments in the infested building.
The word on the street is that old-time tenants in the building are very angry. For years, they lived in the apartments (albeit with drug dealers, noise, etc.) and didn't have bedbugs until new people moved in and started bringing in old furniture from off the street. NOW, the entire building is infested...actually two buildings. Ironically, the new people have the resources to move out while the old timers must stay in the newly infested apartments and wait for a slow-moving management company to do something. Its an awful situation for all involved...old timers and new. My source tells me the person moving out told him there were "swarms" of bedbugs in the building and had the bites on her legs to prove it.

Subject: clincher...

Here's the clincher---the owner of building is constructing two penthouse apartments on the top of the existing building. From what I've been told, the apartments have beautiful Manhattan views and will have all the trimmings---stainless steel appliances, marble, etc. The penthouses are clearly visible from the street---this explains the scaffolding that covers 347 and 349 St. Johns place. I can't imagine the penthouses are for people who already live there, but for unsuspecting people who have the money to pay for newly constructed penthouses. The mattresses, couches, etc. were taken away by the Sanitation men yesterday...There are currently 147 violations pending against this building...Go to the following link for more info on this building:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/hpd/html/home/home.shtml

I do not live in this building, but feel badly for the old timers and new people who live in this building. From what I've heard, the landlord is allowing the entire building to become infested so everyone will move out---this is his way of getting out people who are rent stablized, section 8, etc...at the same time, new people are moving in and renting infested apartments. This is a terrible situation for everyone involved...

WORD TO THE WISE: Do not pick up furniture off the street. This includes wooden cabinets, tables, bookshelves, etc. Infested furntiture is one of the reasons the bugs are spreading so fast. Also refrain from buying cheap mattresses/boxsprings. A $50 bed purchased from a cheap furniture story has probably be re-furbished and re-covered. Many of these mattresses are not NEW. This is another reason we are seeing so many infestations in NYC...

just be careful...and tell everyone you know NOT to rent at 349 Saint Johns place.