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HPD strips landlord of right to cure violations at East Village SRO
By Erik Engquist — The Real Deal
Comprehensive investigative report covering the full history of the building, the regulatory paradox between DOB and HPD, tenant disputes, and political involvement. The most detailed third-party account of the case.
"HPD strips landlord of right to cure violations at East Village SRO"
The Real Deal's investigation uncovered the full regulatory paradox at the heart of the 109 East 9th Street case — where the Department of Buildings and HPD issued conflicting directives that made compliance with either agency impossible without violating the other.
The article documents how DOB ordered the building owner to make structural repairs, while HPD simultaneously stripped the owner's right to perform those very repairs — creating a Catch-22 that left the building in regulatory limbo.
Geylik bought the 13-unit but mostly vacant SRO for $3.35 million in 2021. He converted the former pub on the ground floor and removed longstanding violations with DOB permits. But after the April 2024 earthquake worsened existing structural issues, DOB issued emergency work orders requiring major repairs.
"Every time I enter, I put on invisibility clothes." — James Hicks, when confronted by Geylik about not residing in his unit
The article details how tenant James Hicks was subletting his rent-stabilized unit through a middleman, while CUNY professor Patterson Beckwith spent only 1% of his time at his 90-square-foot SRO — owning three houses in Pittsburgh with his wife.
Five politicians, including state Sen. Brian Kavanagh and Council member Carlina Rivera, urged HPD to revoke Geylik's certificate of no harassment — without asking Geylik for his side of the story.
"On one side, I'm being pushed by DOB to fix the building. On the other side, HPD won't let me."