Some landlords are so eager to kick tenants out of their apartments that they take matters into their own hands. Instead of pursuing the legal route for an eviction, these landlords take measures designed to accomplish a speedy eviction on their own, such as ignoring repair requests, shutting off utilities, or even locking tenants out of their apartments altogether.
When a landlord attempts to remove a tenant in this way, it's known as a self-help eviction. Although self-help evictions are illegal, they normally don't rise to a level that warrants a very serious penalty such as 15 years in prison.
But that's exactly the sentence a New York City landlord now faces from what you might call an extreme self-help eviction. According to a report in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, a landlord impersonated a city marshal, then illegally confronted and "evicted" his own tenant from her basement apartment. After the tenant realized the con and notified the authorities, the landlord lied to the police about his identity and authority, producing a fake badge and possession notice.
Unconvinced, the police last week took the landlord into custody. He now reportedly faces convictions on several counts, including burglary in the second degree, criminal impersonation in the second degree, unlawful eviction, obstructing governmental administration in the second degree, and pretending to be a city marshal.
Related Articles:
- Don't Let Your Landlord Get Away With a Self-Help Eviction
- When to Negotiate Rent With a Landlord
- Get Results When You Need Something from Your Landlord
(Photo © Nancy R. Cohen / Getty Images)
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