Landlord buried in pandemic-related losses pleads for relief from City of Newburgh
Rental home owner Veronica Sabbag is fighting to get the city to cancel out thousands of dollars worth of penalties on her city bills to help her avoid financial ruin and keep the home.
A Newburgh landlord told News 12 Monday she wants city officials to afford her the same sensitivity that tenants benefitted from during the COVID-19 pandemic, but she is not receiving it.
Rental home owner Veronica Sabbag says she is fighting to get the city to cancel out thousands of dollars worth of penalties on her city bills to help her avoid financial ruin and keep the home.
Sabbag is contesting penalties on a $7,000 water bill that was run up by tenants she finally evicted from the Liberty Street home in March.
During this fight, she has been hit with more penalties on her water bill, which has led to a tax lien on the rental home.
Penalties and interest total well over $10,000, according to statements and other documents provided by Sabbag.
Sabbag was in city court Monday for her first appearance in a small claims case she filed against the city to try to cancel out some of the penalties.
"I'm saving the property so far," she said before entering the courthouse Monday morning, "but I will see what the city decides as well to do with all the charges they are imposing on me."
COVID-19-era housing protections instituted by the state of New York allowed Sabbag's former tenants to live at the home for more than two years, rent free, without risk of eviction.
Sabbag said the non-payment of rent and the damage the tenants left behind put her out about $100,000.
"I understand that all the landlords have been confronted with this situation," she said. "I want to raise awareness to the city's representatives [sic] of what the damages of such a situation can cause for a landlord."
Sabbag has also asked the city council multiple times in person to give her more slack while she manages her financial crisis.
She wants penalties removed from her bills and a payment plan for the rest she owes.
Sabbag said, if she can reach a deal with the city, she is ready to make a good faith payment immediately.
"The circumstances have been really explained to them at length, my struggles," she said. "I have been extremely extensive in my explanations."
The judge presiding over her small claims case adjourned proceedings until November 25.
If Sabbag and the city's legal team do not reach a resolution before then, the judge will schedule a trial.
The mayor and councilperson who represents Sabbag's neighborhood told News 12 they cannot comment on ongoing litigation.
City administrators did not respond to emailed general questions about procedure and specific questions about Sabbag's case.
Sabbag's troubles continue to cascade.
Just after the tenants vacated the home, the home lost about $65,000 in value in this year's assessment.
