The Grant Avenue Condo Association claims that a certificate of occupancy should never have been issued for its building due to code violations, but city officials beg to differ.

Now condo owners are learning the meaning of “buyer beware” when it comes to buying rehabilitated building units.

“Jersey City has left behind a people, a community in the Greenville section,” Eric Mason, president of the condo association told the City Council at a recent meeting. “We’ve had to deal with an oil spill from underground tanks, an uncompleted roof, electrical issues, carbon monoxide and water leaks, sinking floors and a fire sprinkler system that is not operational. There are gaps and holes in walls and rain coming through the windows.”

The 140 Grant Ave. 16-unit building once owned by the Fairmount Housing Corporation was boarded up by the city in February 2002. In December 2002, Fairmount sold the building to a developer, who started rehab on the building to turn it into condos. The units, however, do not get the same warranty protections as newly constructed buildings, according to the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Division of Codes and Standards.

Mason said the condo association reported over 170 construction code violations after the city’s construction department allowed occupancy of the building in 2005 and 2006.

He said the roof lacks a sealant, with just a rubber sheet, no insulation or drainage. Mason said he contacted Carl Czaplicki, director of the city’s Division of Housing, Economic Development and Commerce (HEDC) in February. In a June 23 letter to Mason, Czaplicki dismissed Mason’s claims, noting a lack of documentation showing oil leaks and non-working fire sprinkler system. He said sagging floors were not an inspection issue since building plans did not indicate work on load bearing walls and floor sealing assemblies. Additionally, he noted Mulligan Roofing provided a repair after Baez Construction got a permit to build the roof and NT Enterprises provided a 10-year warranty. Masonry is a maintenance issue and New Jersey Rehabilitation Code permits property owners to determine scope of renovation, he added.

The developer, who is listed as the owner of JAB Property Management and InterRep LLC – both with Jersey City addresses – could not be reached for comment.