Rent is out of control in New York City these days. Despite the fact that there are now more vacant apartments for rent than there have been in the last nine years, rent isn't going down.
Rather, landlords are offering concession incentives like covering broker's fees. Still, the amount of people who list an open room on Airbnb for some extra cash is wildly high, with some even illegally doing so to the tune of over $100k per year!
To counteract the trend, landlords and their attorneys are forbidding many new lease holders from using the web service all together, just to deter law-skirting "professional tenants."
But it's not stopping everyone, not even close.
Take for example the case of landlord Eddie Shiew, who owns a three-story property in Elmhurst, Queens. He recently rented the three bedroom third floor unit to Burak Firik and Dogan Kimilli for $2,500 per month.
Soon after, Shiew's first floor tenant alerted him that the third floor appeared to be under renovation. Shiew investigated, and found that Firik and Kimilli had converted the three bedrooms into ten, dividing each bedroom up with sheetrock. They're hardly large enough to fit a bed.
Next, Shiew uncovered that his tenants were listing the rooms on Airbnb. He promptly demolished the renovations and changed the locks on the apartment, demanding the tenants leave, but it didn't end there.
Firik and Kimilli managed to get a court order allowing them to re-enter the apartment, accusing Shiew of illegally locking them out. In retaliation, Shiew and his attorney are seeking to evict the gentlemen for violating their lease.
Screenshot via Pix11
Now, Airbnb users still rent "rooms" in the unit, except instead of tiny rooms divided by sheetrock, they're in one big room divided by curtains. They're going for $35/night.
Despite the fact that none of the people renting "rooms" in the unit have ever met the actual tenants and pay online, Firik insists that he and Kimilli live there.
Of course, when the two tenants were reminded of the lease agreement that specifically says they cannot alter or renovate the apartment without express permission, they responded simply, "We know the laws very well, you'll not be able to evict us ever." Sounds sketchy.
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[via Pix 11 News] [Feature Image Courtesy Pix11]