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On Friday, Jan. 20, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the recovery of $422,598.21 from Fairfield Properties, one of the largest residential property owners on Long Island, after an investigation that found the company routinely violated housing and tenant protection laws.
Fairfield Properties withheld full or partial security deposits from 899 former tenants and did not provide tenants with a written itemized list of deductions, James said.
The real estate company also inspected the apartments without the tenants present and didn't let tenants make repairs before vacating their apartments, the Attorney General's Office reported.
Fairfield Properties is set to contact the former tenants and send the checks in the mail, James said.
The company is additionally required to pay $90,000 in penalties to the state.
“New Yorkers shouldn’t have to worry that their landlord will illegally withhold money that belongs to them,” James said. “Fairfield withheld thousands of dollars that belonged to hardworking people, and today, we are returning that money to tenants who were shortchanged. We will always go after landlords that violate the law and the rights of New Yorkers.”
Fairfield Properties owns and operates 196 rental buildings, including 13,620 rental units in Nassau, Suffolk, and Queens counties, according to the report.
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