Lease Invalid Under Tenant Interim Lease Program Rules

Landlord sued to evict tenant, claiming that tenant's lease was invalid. Landlord was a tenants' association participating in HPD's Tenant Interim Lease (TIL) program. Under the program, the city owned the building but the tenants' association managed it until it could be converted to a private cooperative. Landlord claimed that tenant's brother, who was the former president of the tenants' association, gave tenant a five-year written lease in violation of HPD TIL program rules. Tenant claimed that he'd received the lease before the building went into the TIL program. The court ruled for landlord. Under the TIL program, landlord was permitted only to allow month-to-month tenancies. The lease was also cosigned on landlord's behalf by another tenant who had no authority to sign the lease on landlord's behalf. In addition, tenant's brother accepted rent from tenant on behalf of landlord. Tenant's claim that he'd received the lease before the TIL program went into effect wasn't believable.

2728 Broadway Tenants Assn. v. Boylan: NYLJ, p. 26, col. 3 (7/1/98) (Civ. Ct. NY; Renwick, J)