QUEENS Most New Yorkers know how to utilize every square inch of space, but one landlord says his tenants broke the law when they created 10 bedrooms out of a three-bedroom apartment.
Eddie Shiew is the owner of a three-story rental home in the Queens neighborhood of New York, according to PIX11 News. Two tenants Burak Firik and Dogan Kimilli pay $2,500 a month to lease the top floor of the home, which had been converted into a three-bedroom apartment.
Initially, Shiew didnt have any issues with the men. But then he got a call from another tenant in the house, complaining of construction taking place on the third floor, PIX11 reports.
I went in the next day and found they had turned a three-bedroom into a 10-bedroom apartment, Shiew said.
Shiew said the men had hired a crew to install sheetrock to divide each of the three bedrooms into three tiny bedrooms. From there, Shiew said, Firik and Kimilli listed the rooms on Airbnb a site where people find and rent lodging and collected around $35 a night per room from tourists.
Shiew immediately tore down the walls of the makeshift hostel and changed the locks on the doors informing Firik and Kimilli that they were not to return to the property, PIX11 reports. But the men refused to be evicted, and instead, took Shiew to court.
After a judge ordered Shiew to let the tenants back in, the men put up curtains where the walls once stood and continue to rent out the space to Airbnb travelers.
Shiew says he received a text from Firik that reads, We know the laws very well, youll not be able to evict us ever.
The landlord is now working with an attorney to evict the men, claiming they violated their lease. The lease agreement states that tenants cant make any repairs or alterations to the apartment without the permission of the landlord, PIX11 reports.
In a phone interview with a PIX11 reporter, Firik denied putting up walls in the apartment and said he and Kimilli live there full time.
Shiews attorney told PIX11 he expects a court to evict the men in the next few months.
Eddie Shiew is the owner of a three-story rental home in the Queens neighborhood of New York, according to PIX11 News. Two tenants Burak Firik and Dogan Kimilli pay $2,500 a month to lease the top floor of the home, which had been converted into a three-bedroom apartment.
Initially, Shiew didnt have any issues with the men. But then he got a call from another tenant in the house, complaining of construction taking place on the third floor, PIX11 reports.
I went in the next day and found they had turned a three-bedroom into a 10-bedroom apartment, Shiew said.
Shiew said the men had hired a crew to install sheetrock to divide each of the three bedrooms into three tiny bedrooms. From there, Shiew said, Firik and Kimilli listed the rooms on Airbnb a site where people find and rent lodging and collected around $35 a night per room from tourists.
Shiew immediately tore down the walls of the makeshift hostel and changed the locks on the doors informing Firik and Kimilli that they were not to return to the property, PIX11 reports. But the men refused to be evicted, and instead, took Shiew to court.
After a judge ordered Shiew to let the tenants back in, the men put up curtains where the walls once stood and continue to rent out the space to Airbnb travelers.
Shiew says he received a text from Firik that reads, We know the laws very well, youll not be able to evict us ever.
The landlord is now working with an attorney to evict the men, claiming they violated their lease. The lease agreement states that tenants cant make any repairs or alterations to the apartment without the permission of the landlord, PIX11 reports.
In a phone interview with a PIX11 reporter, Firik denied putting up walls in the apartment and said he and Kimilli live there full time.
Shiews attorney told PIX11 he expects a court to evict the men in the next few months.
