No solicitation, never!
On Thursday, July 28, at 7:30 p.m., Senator Jeff Klein will hold a follow up ‘Cease and Desist Zone’ public hearing at Villa Barone Manor, 737 Throgs Neck Expressway, to officially determine the size of the zone – determined by communities who have been subject to intense and repeated real estate solicitation.
The public hearing will provide those in attendance the opportunity to submit testimony and other evidence that proves an intense solicitation by real estate agencies and salespeople.
If a cease and desist zone is indeed established, property owners in the affected areas, whether residential or commercial, will be eligible to add their address and telephone number to a cease and desist list, which would prohibit real estate brokers and salespeople from contacting them.
Area property owners claim they have been deluged with offers to buy houses for cash flyers on their front doors and fences.
At the initial public forum held on Wednesday, April 20 at P.S. 14, which was led by Klein and attended by the NYS Department of State, the senator spoke to property owners from community boards 10 and 11.
Many in attendance were victimized by aggressive real estate solicitations mailed or dropped off to their homes.
A follow up forum, which on June 28, began the process of determining the boundarary of the Cease and Desist Zone where solicitations would be prohibited.
“The first meeting really got the ball rolling in moving this process forward in the right direction,” said Michael McNerney, president of the Country Club Civic Association, who added that he receives several solicitations each week, either by mail or handbills, and presents between 25 to 50 solicitations to Klein’s office each month.
“Without this law in effect, the solicitations have increased and I still see real estate agents going door-to-door on a consistent basis. It’s harassing our community and hopefully this law can be in effect for the greater 10465 area.”
According to Klein, a Cease and Desist Zone was in place in sections of community boards 10 and 11, which prohibited real estate businesses from contacting and soliciting residents in those areas.
However, the law expired in 2014, and Klein is looking to renew it and extend it to Community Board 9.
He also repaired a loophole that allowed real estate agency representatives to solicite on behalf of the real estate business.
“We must continue to defend our Bronx homeowners and I will continue to work with the Department of State to establish a cease and desist zone in Community Board 10,” Klein said. “Our residents should not be subject to these aggressive and repeat solicitations.”
“I urge homeowners to continue to submit evidence to my office and participate in our upcoming hearing to further determine the perimeters of the zone,” Klein added. “This is my responsibility, along with the community’s responsibility, to prove to the state that this ‘Cease and Desist Zone’ is still needed in our neighborhoods.”
As recently as this week, a solicitor representing KW Realty Group was seen going from door to door and handing out real estate flyers on Calhoun Avenue, just off of East Tremont Avenue.
To RSVP for the upcoming public hearing, contact (718) 822-2049.
