HARTFORD, CT – Residents of the Manor House apartment complex in Bloomfield joined state Rep. Bobby Gibson, D-Bloomfield, and members of the Connecticut Tenants Union at the Legislative Office Building on Friday to demand that their landlord, Navarino Property Group, negotiate a binding agreement with tenants amid rising rents and deteriorating living conditions.
The press conference highlighted the tenants’ claims of persistent issues with mold, trash overflow, heating failures, and steep rent hikes that they say have intensified since Navarino took ownership of the complex last year. Tenants are now calling on Justin Goldberg, principal and cofounder of Navarino, to return to the bargaining table.
“Our landlord, we want to get him to sit with us as a union to reason a collective bonding agreement that will give us a little bit of control over what is going to happen when it comes time for lease increases, rent increases, and so on,” said Morrison Hughes, chapter vice president of the Manor House Tenant Union. “Without that agreement, we have no control.”
A message requesting comment from Navarino Properties was not returned. But Gibson said he had recently met with Goldberg and received a commitment from him to meet with the union.
“I looked him in the eye and he said that he and Navarino are going to try to make this right,” Gibson said. “So I’m going to hold him to that. He said he wants to be a good landlord. Navarino wants to be a good landlord.”
Hughes emphasized the deep roots many residents have in Bloomfield, and Manor House in general, emphasizing that many people who live there live with parents or grandparents, and raise their children in the houses.
“Bloomfield is our home, we don’t want to go other places. We are committed to where we live. We are going to fight for it until we get what we are looking for,” Hughes said.
According to tenant union organizer Luke Melonakos-Harrison, approximately 80% of the residents in the complex have joined the union.
Julian Alleyne, also a chapter vice president, talked about her experience in detail, including unresolved mold, inadequate trash disposal, and inconsistent heat and hot water.
“We had a lot of problems, and we still have a lot of problems,” Alleyne said. “But since Navarino has taken over, we have begun to have more and more problems.”
Alleyne pointed to smaller dumpsters, uncleaned nails from construction which have caused tenants to have to replace tires, and heating issues over the holidays as examples of worsening conditions under Navarino’s ownership.
He also criticized the introduction of extra fees, including for sewage and parking, and a required income threshold to rent units.
“Who makes three times their rent in a month to be able to afford to live here?” Alleyne asked.
Lisa Freeman, a long-time resident of Manor House, said she’s been battling health issues due to mold in her unit.
“I’ve been working with Navarino and long story short, the mold is considered surface mold, it’s not a priority, but it is impacting my health,” she said. “We just want them to hear us.”
Hannah Srajer, president of the Connecticut Tenants Union, praised the residents who made the trip to Hartford.
“Members of the Manor House Tenant Union are sick and tired of being treated like a paycheck by a greedy landlord that just sees their homes as dollar signs,” she said.
State lawmakers joined the tenants in their call for accountability. Representative Geraldo Reyes, D-Waterbury, urged tenants to “keep fighting,” calling housing and rental issues a statewide crisis.
“You can’t treat public health as a secondary issue. That’s a big issue, that affects quality of life every day,” Reyes said.
Correction: This story has been updated to identify Julian Alleyne as a speaker in a caption.