Exclusive | NYC tenants displaced by 2023 blaze still without permanent homes and blame insurance foot-dragging
About 250 Queens residents displaced by a horrific 2023 fire are still without permanent homes while an insurance firm drags its feet on paying out claims, according to the enraged tenants and local pols.“It’s been an absolute bureaucratic nightmare,” said Lauren Koenig, one of the hordes of tenants booted by the five-alarm blaze at their building at 43-09 47th Ave.in Sunnyside in December nearly two years ago.“Every step of the way has been like the fire,” said Koenig, 43, who lived at the site for 11 years before a construction worker’s blowtorch accidentally lit up the building.Many of the affected longtime tenants lived in rent-stabilized units in the building and are now paying higher rent elsewhere amid the red tape over their and the building owners’ claims.Since the fire, the tenants have collectively shelled out $100,000 per month for temporary housing and basic needs, said lawmakers who represent the neighborhood.“They are nearly two years into this ordeal – they have waited long enough,” US Rep.
Nydia Velázquez, state Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris, state Assemblymember Claire Valdez and City Councilwoman Julie Won seethed in an Aug.14 letter to Chubb insurance company Chairman and CEO Evan Greenberg.“While we understand that processing fire insurance claims can be complex, we are concerned by the number of months it has taken your company to resolve this claim and bring closure to this situation,” the politicians said.But Chubb, in a response letter, suggested the lawmakers and tenants were barking up the wrong tree.“While Chubb understands your concerns and sympathizes with the residents, we believe you may have misunderstood the type of insurance Chubb issued to the building owners and managers, EAE Atlantic, 43-09 47th Avenue, LLC and A&E 43-09 47th Avenue MGMT, LLC (collectively “EAE”),” wrote Dan Hawthorne, vice president of compliance for Chubb North America Claims.He said there are two distinct types o...