Tenant in Melrose apartment building says conditions in her apartment are hazardous

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Reya Flowers says the conditions in her apartment on 281 E 149 St. are unlivable. She says rats and trash fill the buildings lobby, and she is currently dealing with a gaping hole in her bathroom ceiling. Flowers tells News 12 the hole in her bathroom has water, urine and feces leaking into her bathroom. She also says that rats come into her apartment through the hole. "It's situations like this that make people who have lower incomes feel like there's no hope, like we're truly discarded and like, you know, neglected by society," she said. Flowers says she cannot get in touch with the management company of her building. News 12 tried to call the company and was unable to get in touch with the owners. In a statement the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development said, "There is absolutely no excuse for failing to provide safe, habitable homes to their tenants. We are looking into the situation immediately and urge any New Yorkers living in similar conditions to call 311 immediately so we can intervene." It also said that it is involved in litigation efforts to force repairs, and it issued violations to the building. "