Bronx Tenants Sue Landlord over Living Conditions

Tenants in two neighboring apartment buildings in the South Bronx want one thing this holiday season: better living conditions.

In these Sheridan Avenue buildings, tenant are dealing with cracked walls, leaks, mold and rats. Joane Gary, who has lived in the complex for more than 25 years, said the rats are a huge issue in communal areas such as the basement.

"The basement is underneath my kitchen window, and there's dead rats down there. And the smell comes up in my apartment everyday - the stench of dead rats," she said.

More than 25 tenants filed a lawsuit against their landlord in November. If successful, this would prompt the landlord to fix the 213 violations the buildings have racked up. The the landlord was unable to be reached by press time, but the third court date for the case is in late January.