I moved into an 3br apartment at 495 Putnam Ave, in Brooklyn NY in October with my two children. Jerry Calonge was my landlord and seemed to be a super nice guy that was very giving and trustworthy. The apartment was clad with expensive appliances and he even offered to include ALL utilities (Heat/Hot Water/Gas/Electric) into the rent of $1600/mo. Being a single parent, this seemed like a deal that was too good to be true, but I believed Mr Calonge, as he was a really nice guy.
Time went on and strange things started to happen. The heat would be off for days at a time in the middle of the winter, leaving us with no hot water or heat. Mr Calonge would come up with excuses as to why this was happening, and even bought me a space heater to help when the "furnace was acting up". Come to find out, the oil was constantly running out - there was no faulty furnace. I hesitated to call 311 and file a complaint because Mr Calonge seemed to be truly sympathetic and helpful during the times when we had no heat. But this seemed to be a problem pretty much monthly, along with a slew of other typical apartment problems (Mice, Roaches, leaking ceilings, broken windows, security issues). All were usually resolved after complaining several times, but it always seemed Mr Calonge was up to no good, as if he would try to butter me up and make nice. He always seemed to be pipe dreaming, thinking of schemes to make more money. He often asked me to work for him (I am an advertising exec) and that I would make "millions" working for him. He asked me to quit my job on several occassions and told me he could match was I was making. I always declined because I dont take those types of risks.
In May of my fiance was home sleeping. He was awoken by the doorbell. When he answered and asked who was there, he was told it was "The NYC Housing Authority and Building Department, along with the FDNY." Thinking something was wrong, he let them in. He was told by the FDNY and other departments, that our building was being shut down because of many violations, most importantly - no certificate of occupancy, illegal apartments and no 2nd mean of egress for OUR apartment. We had no fire escape OR sprinklers, and we were on the 3rd floor.
Mr Calonge was called to the building, and I left work early to come see what the issue was. We were being made to vacate the apartment within 6hrs and we were no longer allowed to live there. Mr Calonge seemed suprised and stunned, as if he had no idea why this was all happening. Being a mother of two small children, I had no idea what I was going to do with my kids, possessions and my LIFE. I was officially HOMELESS! We gathered up as much as we could and left the apartment to stay with my mother in New Jersey for a week, meanwhile making trips back and forth to our apartment to pack up our belongings. I tried to stay in contact with Mr Calonge after the time we were kicked out, but he never responded to my calls. He offered to let me stay in an unfinished brownstone around the corner from the apartment that he was renovating, but I made him aware that with two kids, no heat/hot water/electric - that it was not a very good option for me.
By the middle of June, my fiance and I had moved our belongings out of the apartment and moved into a place in New Jersey. I had lost my job due to having to be out for several days each week to pack/move all of my belongings, look for a place to live, commute from 50mi away (in NJ where my mother lives). Mr Calonge contacted me in mid-June with no resolution to the problems he had caused. I asked for my security deposit back, he said no. I asked for my last months rent back, he said no. I asked for ANYTHING to help me through my hard time that HE had caused. He said No. Not to mention, I was 2 months away from being married - and this situation had put quite a damper on one of the happiest times of my life.
Last I have heard, 495 Putnam is still vacant. Mr Calonge apparently still has tons of unpaid fines from the city of NY for violations, of which he has yet to respond to. (these can be checked on the NYC Buildings Dept website)
All in all, I spent about $3,000 for movers, storage, come up with security for a new apartment, and a ton of other expenses from this nightmare that happend. It was the worst feeling in the world to come home to what I did. I am a responsible adult that was making great money, paying my bills, raising two great kids and was living a great life. It was all torn to pieces because of Mr Calonge and his inability to adhear to the law, get permits and provide a safe living environment for his tenants that were paying him money. The building at 495 Putnam is set up for THREE residential apartments, Mr Calonge had SIX. He knew what he was doing when he bought the building and split up the three apartments into six. Not to mention - two other tentants were made to vacate the building as well. The tenants in the studio apartments (with the fire escape) were allowed to stay. I have recently moved to a different state because of all the ill feelings I have gotten from the whole experience that happend to me.
If the FBI, Attorney General or any other person that wants a character witness - please feel free to contact me. Mr Calonge is a slumlord and now apparently, a crook. He sure led me to believe he was a real good guy, buying me gifts for my engagement, coming to my cocktail parties with bottles of expensive liquor and putting on a total front. I hope he goes down, hard.
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