For over a year, Vianca Espinal says she and other tenants living in 65 Ft. Washington Avenue in Washington Heights have had no gas — all meals have to be cooked on an electrical burner.

“We’ve just been struggling. It’s been a hassle. I’ve reached out to 311 multiple times,” Espinal said.

She says she and other tenants there weren’t given a reason by their management company why gas was shut off. They claim they also weren’t given a date when it would be restored.

“A lot of the people in this building are on financial assistance programs, so they are afraid to speak up due to retaliation,” Espinal said.

NY1 reached out to the management company with their concerns. Stellar management responded with a statement.

“Our building management is in continuous communication with our tenants regarding this matter and we have been working closely with all necessary parties — including ConEdison and the Department of Buildings — to remedy the issue. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused,” the statement read. 

The representative didn’t give a reason for the delay or when gas would be returned.

“Not only am I a single mom, I have my niece, my nephew, his girlfriend, my daughter, they all live here it takes forever to cook on top of the fact that if you turn this on all the power goes off,” Espinal said.

Many times she said her family ends up ordering takeout, which means spending more money. And they’re still required to pay full monthly rent on time.

“Holidays were thrown out the window. Christmas, New Year, every holiday and everything we cook has to either be fried or microwavable,” Espinal said.

For tenants like Espinal, inconvenience is an understatement. She says she feels like her back is against a wall with no help.

“Even if I wanted to move, I don’t have the funds for it,” Espinal said.

Espinal and other tenants say they’ve been meeting as a group to go over their options, including taking legal action against their management company to expedite these gas issues.