In a cruel turn of fate, a New York City landlord is facing eviction from his own home, after tenants in his building refused to pay rent for more than four years.
David Howson, now 88, has reportedly has long used rental income from his building to help pay for the co-op apartment where he¡¯s lived in for decades. Now, he has?lost $39,000 in income, the bulk of which is owed by a single tenant who apparently has paid no rent since December 2016.
Howson, who suffers from Alzheimers, has reportedly failed in multiple attempts in court to force the tenant to pay the outstanding fees, leaving him unable to pay his own rent and maintenance bills.?
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, there is currently a ban on evictions in New York City until May 1.
According to a report in New York Post, the tenant reportedly inherited the rights to the apartment after her husband was put in a nursing home. Out of the $926 monthly rent, the landlord claims that he is only getting $215, from the city¡¯s social services.
¡°We have nothing. We are completely destitute,¡± daughter of the owner David Howson, was quoted as telling the NYP.??
Years of litigation by Howson and her brother Dante have been fruitless. When they go to court, the family have often found themselves on the receiving end of a barrage of pro bono city attorneys defending the tenants.?
In November, attorneys for the tenant and Howson agreed to settle an ongoing lawsuit for $39,106.29 payable by December 31, 2020. The money didn¡¯t arrive.
In a statement, Manhattan Legal Services said it is in the process of ¡°obtaining a rent subsidy from the City which will pay the landlord our client¡¯s full back rent and provide regular monthly rent payments on her behalf moving forward.¡±