More than $123,000 is flowing back into the pockets of Plattsburgh renters after Attorney General Letitia James stepped in to resolve a security deposit dispute. According to a press release from the Office of the Attorney General, 150 tenants were denied rightful access to their funds, and the landlord at the center of the controversy, Thomas Latinville, is now obliged to cough up the cash. His companies, 11 Plattsburgh, LLC and 15 Champlain, LLC, which operate 41 rental properties in the area, were investigated by the OAG for failing to follow New York's security deposit laws.
Under the terms of the legal settlement, Latinville and his companies found themselves having to pay a hefty $100,000 in penalties, alongside the return of $123,927 to the 150 affected tenants. James stated, "Security deposits are supposed to be returned when tenants leave an apartment without serious damage, not kept to line landlords' pockets," in a statement echoed by the Attorney General's press release. She denounces Latinville's actions as an undermining of state laws. Meanwhile, the tenants, some who left Latinville's properties as far back as 2019, will finally see their deposits returned.
Scouring through New York's rent regulations, the OAG deduced that Latinville skirted the law by not dispensing an itemized list of deductions before withholding security deposits. Even when claiming that the deposits were applied to last month's rent at tenants' requests, he failed to provide the requisite paper trail as proof. As reported by the Attorney General's office, the tenants affected vacated properties between June 14, 2019, and May 31, 2024, and will be contacted by Latinville for their refunds, as well as being a beneficiary to future compliance reports.
The settlement indicates a victory for tenant rights, with the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York's (LASNNY) Executive Director Nic Rangel praising the decision. "The timely and accurate return of security deposits is crucial to tenants needing to move in order to secure new housing," Rangel said according to the report, underlining the detrimental impact illegal withholding of these funds can have. In a statement obtained by the Attorney General's press release, he credits these returns as crucial assets belonging to the tenants, not to be frittered away by "unscrupulous landlords for personal profit." Moving forward, Latinville is mandated to educate his staff on the correct protocols regarding security deposits and to facilitate annual training to prevent further mishandling.
This latest action forms part of a broader initiative by Attorney General James to uphold tenant rights and hold delinquent landlords accountable. Earlier efforts included a September action to reregulate apartments in New York City and a March settlement with a Syracuse landlord regarding lead-based paint hazards. The case was managed by Assistant Attorney General Allison Mussen and Assistant Attorney General in Charge of the Plattsburgh Regional Office Susan Griskonis. The overarching message is clear: in the state of New York, the rights of tenants are not to be taken lightly, and the law stands ready to remedy any deviations from its established standards.
