Evicting a tenant: advice desperately needed

Hi: I am hoping the brownstoner community can help me again. I have a very nasty tenant I inherited when I bought a house last winter. When we signed the contract for the house, I told all the tenants that we would be converting the house to a single family. (it is now a 2 family over a storefront). I gave everyone a rent reduction and 6 months to make plans (there were no leases). Everyone left except for the tenant in the storefront. Long story short, despite numerous promises she never left. Ontop of that, she called the building department, to complain of dust and cracks in her ceiling. The DOB has now issued a stop work order until I provide some protection for the tenant from falling debris. Of course she is refusing entry so I can’t “protect” her. On top of it all, she hasn’t paid any rent for 3 months and is now more than 2 months beyond the agreed time of departure which I have in writing. To make matters worse, my family was intending to use the bathroom that is in the space she occupies as there is no other facilities during the renovation. As of July 1 we will be without a home and since she is still occupying the only bathroom in the house, we can not live there. I hired an attorney and have a court date this Monday but he is almost useless. He does not answer our questions. I want to fire him but with so little time before our court date, I have to stick with him until the first hearing. I have a few questions: Since she is living in a storefront, is there anyway to get a quicker eviction since she is technically not supposed to live there? If DOB says I have to provide tenant protection but she refuses my contractor to enter her space, is there any mechanism to force her to provide the protection that is required? Anyone try to evict a tenant that was occupying a space that was meant to be owner occupied. In my conversations with her, she has boasted about the courts being so pro-tenant that she could stay for months. She is kind of a professional tenant and understands how to game the system. Any advice on how to get the courts to see that she is essentially forcing my family (I have two young kids) out of the house we own while she gets to live there rent free for several months. We are running out of money so paying a mortgage, attorney, renovation, and another place to live is financially destroying us. I have offered her money to leave but apparently it is too little. I know she has no legal rights to stay (it is not rent controlled etc). But I need to get her out by the end of the month. I am afraid the courts will be inclined to let her live for free at my house for several months and we will be the ones forced to look for housing. Any advice would be appreciated. We are pretty desperate.

misconformist

in Landlord 11 years and 1 month ago

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CGar | 11 years and 1 month ago

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Might have known where I’d find one of you, I’d find all of you. I have big news (good), but it’s still a big secret. Also, Skippy, I’ll email you back now, but I don’t think I can.

Arkady | 11 years and 1 month ago

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Please follow-up on here with what you do & what results you get.

bedstuyreno | 11 years and 1 month ago

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HI, I totally feel your pain. I inherited a tenant when I purchased my house last year. She occupied the owner’s duplex, so I had to wait to get rid of her before I could start renovating that unit. Here’s my advice – My tenant also made a complaint to the city about dust. I got a hearing date by certified mail. I showed the judge the court papers and that I was trying to evict her. And that she would not allow me access. The fine was removed. Get a court date for the dust complaint. This handled separately than L&T court. – Most L & T attorneys are incompetent. Mostly because they know that the system is a sham and they’re not interested in fighting just collecting your money. During your court date, tell the judge that this tenant is literally making you homeless and that you will lose your house if she does not move. Also, give evidence that she has not paid rent. Here’s the frustrating part, the judge WILL give her more time to move, probably 2-3 months. But during that time she will have to pay rent, if she misses a payment you can request an eviction, usually only takes about 1-2 weeks once the request is made. So overall, my advice is to get everything documented. If the judge does give her more time, make sure that a rent agreement is part of that. The moment she misses a payment have your attorney request the eviction. That’s your best chance of getting her out. Good luck!!!

slopefarm | 11 years and 1 month ago

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OK, so what’s done is done and you are stuck where you are. I can’t see her moving out by the end of the month unless you pay her to do so. So, how much does she want to move out now? How does that compare with the cost of having your family rent someplace else while you try to work this through the courts over the next few months? And do you really want to have your family live in a construction zone, with or without a hostile illegal tenant on the premises?

ventilated | 11 years and 1 month ago

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First piece of advice: get a competent attorney. Second piece of advice: stop trying to “correct” things yourself; you have no idea how much you’ve already screwed up. Your space wasn’t “meant to be owner occupied”–from your description, you bought a mixed use building which you now want to convert. Storefronts are not meant to be rented as residential spaces, but it appears that previous owner, as well as you, allowed that. “I know she has no legal rights to stay (it is not rent controlled etc).”–wrong. Make sure your lawyer understands the difference between eviction and ejectment. You’re probably fortunate that your tenant hasn’t paid rent. And if tenant offers rent in future, do not accept it without your (competent) attorney’s or the court’s advice.

resident2 | 11 years and 1 month ago

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“misconformist” by name may be the problem. There are certain things in Real Estate that are a given and that you should conform to. Never buy a building with illegal occupants unless you have the stomach, where-with-all and wallet to deal with them. Never go to Landlord tenant Court as an owner pleading poverty when it is you who has just bought the building! Never let any City agency (Landlord Tenant Court officials, Buildings department ….)know that you intend for your young children to be living in a construction site! But the first thing you must conform to; is using an Attorney to represent you on your purchase!!!! Someone that knows Landlord Tenant and occupancy law. I know they are mostly boring people that conform….. and they normally cost more than the guy that does not do this stuff everyday, but something’s do need to conform and certainly do not use the guy that does a closing for a cheap fixed price. But that is water under the bridge. You have got yourself in this situation, now you need a good landlord tenant attorney to get you out of it. Or a good Broker to just sell it! Landlord Tenant attorneys are not normally the kind of people that chat or return calls; if you spent 5 days a week in that Court you would not want to try to explain it either! They are not going to sugar coat anything, they cannot make any promises and they rarely return calls, because there is nothing to say until you get to Court. There is no logic, no justice…..just a long way to getting to a settlement that will cost you time and money…. Sorry for the bad news. If your tenant has an expired commercial lease it will be easier, if she has an expired residential lease…..F!*???ZZXX!!! If you have no expired leases from the prior owner??!! Do not go and see the Indi Film “Victoriana”

dylan621 | 11 years and 1 month ago

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Unfortunately, getting her out by the end of the month is not going to happen so you are going to have to plan an alternative. She is right that landlord tenant court is very pro-tenant. Ask her what she wants to get out quickly and negotiate off that. She may see the benefit of getting something now rather than getting evicted later with nothing to show for it.

daveinbedstuy | 11 years and 1 month ago

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There’s also a process for gaining entry to the unit after notification. Your lawyer SHOULD know the specifics of this

Arkady | 11 years and 1 month ago

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Have you gone to the Help Desk at Housing Court? People say it can be very informative & they may have answers to a lot of your questions.

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First let’s recap what i am hearing, primarily so that it will prevent others from getting into this sort of mess. Your attorney during closing should have advised you that (from what you say here) there may be tenants living illegally and that the C of O would be a clue to this. And, that it was going to be a major headache. NEVER use an attorney who is not specifically a Brooklyn based real estate attorney for a house closing (condos would be more boiler plate and straightforward). Do not use a relative attorney or a corporate attorney or a Manhattan attorney who is not well versed in the ins and outs of Brooklyn multi family buildings. Secondly, your assumptions about her ability to stay, even in what may be a business or commercial space and without a lease are true. This will drag out. An unknowledgeable attorney at this point may do you more harm than good. This is what happens when people don’t understand the full ramifications of having tenants. I certainly feel for the situation that you are in but all I can do is provide you with another attorney’s name, one who is an experienced Brooklyn based real estate attorney and can help you with these issues….David Fainkich david@dfainkich.com