
107 West 122nd Street, Manhattan. Image Credit: CityLaw.
Owner of Manhattan brownstone sought to convert a single room occupancy building. Nicole and Clinton Simpson own a single non-occupancy building located at 107 West 122nd Street in Manhattan. The Simpsons purchased the building in September 2016 from the prior owner, who had owned the building from 2007-2016. The Simpsons applied to the Department of Housing Preservation and Development for a certificate of no harassment, a requirement which must be satisfied before the owner can obtain building permits needed to alter the structure. (more…)

Coalition rallies to save the Williams Memorial Residence, June 18, 2014. Image Credit: CityLaw.
The City of New York experienced a massive influx of unmarried immigrants prior to World War II. For many of these men and women, hotel-style accommodations were more convenient and affordable than rental apartments. Such units generally did not include kitchens, but some included bathrooms. Many City newcomers preferred the old-world comforts of a communal kitchen.
For many New Yorkers without the physical or socio-economic resources necessary to maintain their own homes, single-room occupancy accommodations (SROs) became preferred housing options. Over the years, SRO units have been found in hotels, apartment buildings and even private homes. Today, SRO units are becoming increasingly difficult to identify and, thus, preserve as a viable form of affordable housing.
The rights of SRO tenants are better defined than is the category of individuals entitled to assert them. No single body of law has been formally cultivated for purposes of governing SRO housing. The web of laws and code sections applicable to SROs has become increasingly difficult to penetrate and apply. Consequently, SRO housing is in danger of vanishing despite historically strong and often well-founded support. The current controversy surrounding The Williams, a 15-story senior residence on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, is a case in point.
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303 East 46th Street. Image Credit: Google Maps.
Owner added staircase to create a duplex but failed to get permit to do work. The corporation AS 303 LLC owns an apartment building located on 303 East 46th Street, between 1st and 2nd Avenue, in Manhattan. The building was authorized to have eleven class “A” units over the five floors. The owner converted apartments 2E and 3E into a duplex by building a staircase connecting 2E to 3E and added another bedroom. The owner then leased the duplex through Airbnb. The owner had not gotten a permit to make this conversion. (more…)

258 West 97th Street. Image Credit: Google Maps
Upper West Side residential building converted to hotel. On May 29, 2014, a Department of Buildings inspector cited the owner of a residential building, located at 258 West 97th Street, Manhattan, with illegally converting the building into a hotel for temporary lodging. The building was originally divided into apartment units for three or more families to live independently from one another. The owner converted the building into temporary one-room and two-room lodging. The Buildings inspector also charged the owner with a failure to provide legally required exits for each floor and for commercial operations in a residential zone. (more…)

Broadway Hotel and Hostel in Manhattan. Image Credit: CityLand
Broadway Hotel sued New York City claiming the Airbnb law was unconstitutional. The City served a summons on the Broadway Hotel on the Upper West Side of Manhattan for illegal transient occupancy. The New York City Airbnb law prohibited a class A dwelling from renting out rooms on a temporary basis. The City alleged that the Hotel was a Class A dwelling and was therefore prohibited from renting out rooms on a temporary basis for any period less than 30 days. (more…)