The City-Wide Tenant Union of Rochester says the city needs a housing court similar to the ones in Buffalo and New York City. Tenants would be able to use it like Small Claims Court, to file grievances against landlords and get their problems resolved.
The Tenants Union is representing tenants of three Rochester apartment buildings that got in the news last week for heating system and other failures. One is 960 Dewey Avenue, which has been condemned by city inspectors for no heat. Another is Southview Towers on South Avenue, where tenants complained last week that the heat was too weak to keep up with the cold snap. The managers of that building began distributing space heaters and making repairs last week.
State legislators would have to approve legislation to give Rochester a Housing Court. But in the meantime, the Tenants Union says the tenants in those buildings are in an emergency situation.