Richard Caroll Jr. thought his Harlem apartment was a great deal when he moved in in 2004.
The artist said the natural light that spilled in through the living room windows made for a perfect painting studio. The rent was technically $2,000 a month, but the landlord let him pay $1,200, according to court records.
Carroll said there were no glaring issues at first. Then the stove stopped working, the windowsills decayed, the ceiling lights broke, the bedroom door fell off its hinges, and rats chewed through the wall under the kitchen sink…