East Elmhurst landlord hit with $250K fine from DOB for illegal conversion
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The owner of a home at 27-01 Butler St. in East Elmhurst incurred more than a quarter of a million dollars in fines from the DOB in October. Photo via Google Maps.
By Jonathan Sperling
The owner of a home in East Elmhurst racked up more than $250,000 in fines in October for illegally subdividing a single-family home, offenses that landed him at the top of a “highlight” reel of Department of Buildings enforcement actions.
Pedro Mateo, the owner of a home at 27-01 Butler St., incurred $268,625 in total penalties from the DOB in October 2019 for safety violations related to the illegal conversion of a legal single-family home to four single-room occupancy units, which were found advertised on Airbnb, according to the DOB.
Illegal conversions, which involve the modification of a home to create additional housing unit(s), can potentially pose major safety risks because they often don’t conform to building and fire codes, according to the DOB.
Complaints regarding an illegal conversion at 27-01 Butler St. were first reported to the DOB in May 2019. Since then, the property has received several additional complaints pertaining to the home’s illegal conversion into Airbnb bedrooms, as well as a complaint from a next-door neighbor alleging that six or seven people were living in the home, not including those living in the basement and attic.
A listing for 27-01 Butler St. was not found on Airbnb at the time this story was being written, but other listings in the East Elmhurst area tout the neighborhood’s proximity to LaGuardia Airport. Butler Street is located only a few blocks away from the airport.
Major single-room occupancy-related penalties were issued to several other landlords throughout Queens in October. Krishna Rampersaud, the owner of a home in Woodhaven located at 85-15 89th Ave., was issued $94,500 in penalties for the illegal conversion of three SRO units located in a cellar and on the second floor of the home, as well as for work without a permit. Evergreen 149 LLC, which owns a home at 34-20 112th St. in North Corona — also close to LaGuardia Airport — received $61,250 in fines for the illegal addition of four SRO units located in the basement and on the first floor.
The DOB issued a total of 48 violations and $1,687,400 in penalties in October 2019 for illegal building alterations at nine separate locations across the city.
