Q: I sublet my condominium from somebody who, I consider, holds leases on plenty of completely different flats in and round Harlem, however doesn’t reside in any of them. He sublets the models to completely different individuals, including partition partitions to bedrooms and residing rooms to create extra bedrooms so he can lease extra rooms. There are three of us in my condominium. The first tenant collects our separate lease checks in individual firstly of each month. The lease goes up at his whim and there’s a fixed turnover of tenants. Is that this authorized?
A: You’re in a precarious state of affairs with no straightforward options. The association you’ve described is probably going unlawful, and should endanger your private security. Short-term partitions can create hearth hazards in the event that they impede an escape route in an emergency, and can’t be put in with out approval and a allow from town.
“As soon as you set up partitions, you’re actually placing individuals’s lives in danger,” if the partitions don’t meet metropolis necessities, stated Alan J. Goldberg, a Manhattan lawyer who represents tenants, who described the state of affairs as a possible rip-off. “It’s a horrible, horrible state of affairs.”
The individual renting the condominium to you is probably going violating the phrases of his personal lease, in addition to metropolis and state legal guidelines.
First, cease paying lease. The first tenant can not evict you or drive you out of your own home. “No one apart from the courtroom or a metropolis company has the ability to let you know to go away,” Mr. Goldberg stated. If he harasses you when he comes to gather the lease, ask him to go away. If he doesn’t depart, name the police.
Subsequent, contact the one that owns the condominium. Should you don’t have that data, you’ll find it on the Division for Housing Preservation and Improvement web site. Clarify the state of affairs to the proprietor, in addition to your considerations. “You don’t need to be paying lease to any individual who could not have forwarded it to the owner,” Mr. Goldberg stated.
You must also name 311 and clarify that you simply’re involved about hearth and constructing security. Request an inspection, however remember that if an inspector finds harmful residing situations, a vacate order might be issued.
It’s true that these steps might imperil your housing at a second when rents are excessive. However the various — persevering with to pay lease at an individual’s whim in situations that might endanger your security — just isn’t significantly better.
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