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An Upper West Side landlord has been illegally renting out about two-thirds of his apartment building as a hotel, according to New York City prosecutors, and now the city Supreme Court has ordered him to stop.
Michael Edelstein owns Imperial Court at 307 West 79th St, and his long-term tenants have sued him over the practice, which is flagrant enough that the building has a website in which it's branded as the extended-stay Imperial Court hotel. On Wednesday, Justice Kathryn Freed signed a restraining order, compelling Edelstein to stop operating the hotel business, the New York Daily News reports.
According to the suit, the long-term tenants have had to deal with roaches and other vermin because tourists leave their garbage in the hall to rot. They also allege 15-minute wait times for the elevator because one of the two lifts in the building is used only for transporting towels, blankets and the like.
This is not the first time a judicial or legislative body has tried to get Edelstein and his partners to cease Imperial Court hotel operations. The case in the Supreme Court is an appeal from a lower court, which already ruled against the landlord. He's also been fined more than $100k by Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration for the illegal use. [NYDN]
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