EXCERPT:
Tenants in two Harlem buildings are joining a lawsuit to stop what they, along with other renters in Brooklyn, say are illegal modifications to their rent-stabilized apartments.
A dozen families were forced to temporarily move out of their apartments last year because the city deemed the buildings unsafe after they racked up nearly 200 violations. But in the months since, the families are learning that their homes are being transformed — a growing practice that threatens to displace long-time tenants, their lawyers say.
