Tenants of the 100 York apartment complex in Abington Township have brought forth concerns regarding dysfunctional HVAC systems, elevators, water, infrastructure, infestations, electrical wiring, parking, and fire alarms.
“We’re turning into a community through this situation,” Sarah Love Heuges, a tenant, said. “We don’t want to move, we just want our basic needs met. This isn’t ‘luxury apartment living’ as the website says. There’s a lot of deceit and unhappy, trapped people who don’t know what to do.”
Glenside Local reached out to Township commissioner Stuart Winegrad for comment, who deferred to the Township Manager’s Office.
Abington Township Manager Richard Manfredi said that the Township is aware of the situation, and is trying to be more responsive to tenants’ concerns.
“There are some very upset people. All concerns have been heard and are being addressed diligently. Because we’re limited in what we can do, it’s a challenge at times. We’re trying to assist everyone we can and take it very seriously. We’re aware of the problems they’re experiencing, and if there’s a code violation, we cite it to make it a safer place to live,” he said.
“Elevators, for example, are under the auspices of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry. There’s unique language within their statutes that limits what we can do,” Manfredi said. “We’re dependent upon Labor and Industry in order for us to assist in those repairs to be made. There are technicalities, and I know they’ve been on site to conduct inspections.”
The Township heard 100 York tenant concerns during a January 12 Board of Commissioners meeting, an edited version of which can be viewed here:
In response to an early January press release on behalf of AJH Management promoting $3M in renovations, Taylor Casey-Khusidman, a 100 York tenant, posted on Facebook:
I have lived at 100 York since October 2021. I haven’t had working HVAC units in my apartment since January 2022. That means no heat in the winter and no A/C in the summer. From approximately mid-October 2022 through December 2022, we residents had no hot water. It is beyond insulting that AJH Management would announce this $3M renovation with the state of disrepair the actual facilities are. Sure, they hung up a new mirror in the lobby; sure, some new numbers for the units; sure, some new lamps in the hallways. Sure, sure, sure. Meanwhile, there are 0 working elevators in the 101 building; fire alarms that go off every 5-7 days in the 100 building; mold in the basements of both buildings; and maintenance staff who’ve had to quit due to asbestos poisoning. Absolutely insulting and painful to read while knowing the ugly truth behind what’s going on here. If only Abington Township, specifically the commissioners Stuart Winegrad, Tom Hecker, and Matt Vahey would please, PLEASE, do something to hold AJH Management accountable.
Glenside Local reached out to Glenn M. Ross, P.C., a law firm which represents 100 York, on February 2. We reached out to Joseph Gelley, Regional Manager of AJH Management, Charles Halpert of AJH Management, and the leasing office on February 3. We have not received a response from any of these parties as of this writing.
We attempted to contact AJH through their listed email address, and received the following response: “Your message to info@ajhmanagement.com couldn’t be delivered. The group info only accepts messages from people in its organization or on its allowed senders list, and your email address isn’t on the list.”
Feature photo courtesy of Apartment Finder