New York Real Estate Lawyers Blog

April 16, 2015

Illegal Acts and Evictions in New York State

A recent gas explosion in Manhattan’s East Village destroyed an entire building, and, more unfortunately, caused the deaths of at least two individuals and injuries to other people who were unlucky to be in the building during the explosion. Of course, the human cost of such a tragedy cannot be measured. This blog post will attempt to explain some of the legal issues that relate to illegal actions on the part of a landlord or a tenant.

Apparently the gas explosion may have been caused by the illegal siphoning of a gas line by the building’s landlord. If this is indeed the case, the landlord would be legally responsible for any injuries caused by the explosion, including the deaths of the individuals. Such legal responsibility be in both the civil and criminal categories. This means that the persons responsible for the illegal siphoning may face charges of criminal negligence, and be subject to arrest and jail time.

In addition, any persons damaged by the explosion may file civil suits seeking money damages for their injuries. This may also include wrongful death actions brought by the legal heirs of those killed in the explosion. A wrongful death suit usually seeks damages in the amount of future earnings by those who may have been legally dependent on the person who died. It is usually brought by a surviving spouse or child of the decedent. Those found to be legally responsible for the death of the individuals in the explosion may have to pay compensation in the amount of estimated lifetime future earnings of the person who died as a result of their negligence.

April 9, 2015

Partition Actions, Occupancy, and Tenants in New York State

By Weiss & Weiss

Prior posts on this blog have dealt with the legal issues regarding partition of property. To summarize, a partition action may be brought when a property has two or more owners, and the owners are unable to agree on the disposition of the property. One owner may wish to sell the property to a third party, and another owner may wish to retain the property.

Often, one or more of the co-owners may live at the property in question. Another possibility is that none of the owners live at the property, and are renting the premises to a third party who is not a property owner. This blog post will explore the legal issues regarding tenants and occupancy of a property which may be subject to partition.

The first issue to be examined is where one or more of the owners lives at the property in question. Legally, any owner of the property is entitled to reside at the property if the property is residential in nature. For example, let’s assume a property owner passes away and leaves her house to her three children, each to own a one-third (1/3) share of the property. Under this scenario, any or all of the three children may reside at the house in question. None of the three new owners has a legal right to exclude the others from residing at the property. Of course, this can create problems in a scenario where one owner resides at the property, and the other owners do not. Since the non-resident owners do not have a legal right to evict the owner residing at the property, their main recourse would be a partition action to sell the property to a third party.

April 3, 2015

Happy Holidays from Weiss & Weiss

By Weiss & Weiss

March 27, 2015

The Spring Real Estate Market- Timing is Everything

By Weiss & Weiss

In the New York metropolitan area, the residential real estate market is often seasonal. During the holidays between Thanksgiving and New Years Day, most sellers do not list their properties for sale or may remove their home from active listing status. During the winter months, most buyers are reluctant to be exposed to the cold weather and the snow to view properties. Fortunately, all of this changes with the approach of spring. The inventory of homes increases as more properties are listed and additional purchasers are looking to enter transactions. Both parties to transactions, who will experience increased competition as inventory increases, should take the steps described in this post so as not to miss the spring season.

The school calendar is also strongly influential on real estate transactions in the New York suburbs. The optimal time to close for both parties is between the end of June and the beginning of September, so that the children of the selling family can complete their current school year and the children of the purchasing family can start the next school year in a timely fashion. When representing purchasers, our attorneys confirm that the property is in the school district expected by the purchasers. If the closing may occur close to, but not in advance of the start of school, we will contact the school district to determine whether the children of the purchasing family can start school prior to the closing. We will provide any documentation requested by the school district to assist in enrollment. Our lawyers will creatively fashion a solution so that the closing can occur as needed to enroll the children in school.

The following steps should be undertaken by sellers considering bringing their property to market. The home should be physically ready, so that is shows more favorably, bringing the best price to the seller. For instance, decluttering should be done to make the rooms and closets seem larger and to make it easier to move when the time comes. Since painters get busy in the spring, appointments should be made to freshen up the look of the home. Did the winter cause any property damage such as leaks, broken gutters and the like? If so, repairs should be made before bringing the property to market.

March 20, 2015

The Disposition of Housing of the Deceased

By Weiss & Weiss

Many people who pass away also leave behind the place in which they resided. The housing could be a rental apartment, a cooperative or condominium unit, or a house. The deceased may not necessarily have resided in the property immediately before death if they went to assisted living or a nursing home. This blog post will address the legal and practical matters arising from housing of the deceased.

If the person lived in a rental apartment, it remains to be determined whether the rental was rent-regulated or not. A rent-regulated apartment could be either rent controlled or rent stabilized and is generally found in New York City. If a surviving family member wants to continue residing in the rent-regulated apartment, he may wish to allege that he has succession rights and has the legal right to continue to live in the apartment. When the unit is not rent-regulated, the surviving family member may wish to negotiate a surrender of lease and return of any security deposit, in exchange for the prompt removal of the possessions of the deceased. Most landlords do not aggressively pursue eviction in this scenario, if the surviving family member in good faith is acting reasonably efficiently in clearing out the apartment. However, if the death occurred in the apartment and was under gruesome circumstances, the landlord may seek to have out-of-the-ordinary cleaning expenses paid by the family.

When the departed individual lived in a cooperative or condominium apartment, monthly maintenance or common charges will continue to accrue. The representative of the estate should request a delay in the submission of any default notices, pending the representative’s access to assets as needed to make such payments. So long as the cooperative or condominium board is convinced that the representative has duly and promptly applied for Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, additional time to obtain access to assets will usually be granted. In no event do we recommend that the estate representative pay such charges from her own personal account.

March 12, 2015

Foreclosure Settlement Conferences in New York State

By Weiss & Weiss

Our firm handles many cases in which the client is being sued for foreclosure of their property. In general, a foreclosure lawsuit involves a mortgage loan which has been recorded as a lien against real property, such as a house or condominium unit. Please note that cooperative apartments involve ownership of shares in the cooperative corporation, and therefore are not subject to the judicial foreclosure process.

Due to the large volume of foreclosures in New York in recent times, and the desire to protect homeowners, a law was passed in New York State several years ago requiring mandatory settlement conferences in residential foreclosure actions. This requirement does not apply to commercial foreclosures, nor to situations where the owner of the property being foreclosed does not reside at the property.

The purpose of this law is to attempt to resolve foreclosure cases before extensive litigation occurs. The law requires that, after the party foreclosing (the lender) files proof with the Court that the borrower was served with the foreclosure lawsuit, the Court must hold a mandatory settlement conference within sixty (60) days of such filing. In general, the Court will issue a written notice to all parties advising them of the date, time, and location of the settlement conference. It is important to advise your attorney if you receive such a written notice, so that they will be able to attend the conference on your behalf.

March 6, 2015

Managing Disputes Concerning Fixtures and Personal Property in New York Real Estate Closings

By Weiss & Weiss

Many parties to real estate transactions focus not only on the house or the apartment that is involved in the transaction, but also on fixtures and items of personal property. Should a buyer expect that all lighting fixtures are included in the deal? What if a seller wants to take certain items with him? This post will address these issues.

In New York, generally a seller will remove all easily movable items from the apartment or house being sold. These items include furniture, clothing, personal articles and the like. Of course, a buyer will want the seller to remove these items before closing and will be justified in refusing to close until the premises is in “broom clean” condition, as is required in the standard contract. Appliances, such as the refrigerator and stove, are to remain in the premises, as is covered in most standard contracts that we negotiate on behalf of our clients.

Fixtures may not as obvious. A fixture is an item that is attached to the wall, floor or ceiling. A built-in bookcase is not furniture to be removed by the seller, as it is attached to the wall. Chandeliers, wall sconces and other lighting fixtures are expected to remain after closing. There are cases when a seller wants to keep a particular fixture after closing or other cases where a buyer wants to make sure that a beautiful chandelier is not removed by the seller.

February 25, 2015

Debts of the Deceased

By Weiss & Weiss

Every person who dies, whether wealthy or not, will owe money. Whether there is a credit card balance outstanding or estate taxes due to the State of New York, most people will leave this world with a financial obligation of some type. The questions to be addressed in this blog post involve how the fiduciary of the estate should address such debts and whether the fiduciary is personally responsible for the debts. Also, should debts of the deceased be deducted from estate proceeds before distribution to beneficiaries?

The first step is to analyze the types of potential debts. There are secured and unsecured debts. Secured debts are collateralized, such as a mortgage recorded against the house in which the deceased lived, or a car lease. An example of an unsecured debt would be a credit card balance with Visa, Mastercard and the like. Other common unsecured financial obligations include funeral expenses, administration expenses of the estate, estate taxes due to the state or federal government and real estate taxes on property owned by the deceased. Of course, ordinary bills from utilities and doctors will most likely be received.

The fiduciary of an estate in New York is called an Executor if there was a Will, or an Administrator if there was not a Will. Such a fiduciary is charged with collecting all assets of the estate, paying all legitimate obligations, and distributing the balance, if any, to the beneficiaries of the estate. Being a fiduciary is a significant responsibility. Provided that the fiduciary acts ethically and in good faith, he will have no personal obligation for financial obligations of the estate.

February 12, 2015

Recovery of Attorney’s Fees in Landlord-Tenant Actions in New York

By Weiss & Weiss

One of the most frequently asked questions when our firm meets with a new client relates to the awarding of attorney’s fees. Many of our landlord-tenant clients ask us whether they can recover their attorney’s fees in Court from the other party in the litigation. The answer to this question is not a simple one, and this blog post will answer under what circumstances a party may recover their attorney’s fees from the other party, whether in a landlord-tenant litigation, or other type of case.

The general rule in most United States based lawsuits is that all parties pay their own attorney’s fees, regardless of the outcome of the litigation. This is the standard rule in the U.S., although, in other countries, the loser of the litigation is often obligated to pay the attorney’s fees of the prevailing party.

However, the general rule in the U.S., and, more specifically, in New York State, is subject to certain exceptions. Under these exceptions, which we will discuss, the recovery of attorney’s fees from the adversarial side in litigation may sometimes occur. The first exception is when there is a written contract between the parties that allows for the recovery of attorney fees in litigation. For example, a contract clause may state that if a party defaults in their obligations under a contract, and the other party is obligated to bring a Court action to recover damages, and prevails in that action, then they are allowed to recover attorney’s fees. Careful review of any such contract clause would be necessary to determine whether attorney’s fees would be recoverable.

January 28, 2015

For Sale By Owner

By Weiss & Weiss

Our attorneys handle many real estate transactions on behalf of our clients each year. Most clients selling their houses, cooperative or condominium units use the services of a licensed real estate agent. Other sellers chose to sell without the use of such a professional. These transactions are known as for sale by owner (“FSBO”). While we interact with real estate agents on a regular basis, it is not the purpose of this blog post to argue for the use of a real estate agent in your transaction. Our purpose is to distinguish the nature of our legal representation in transactions with and without real estate agents.

The sales price matters to the seller, but has no bearing on our legal work. The preparation of the contract will just involve the insertion of the agreed offer price. However, if a seller retains the services of an experienced real estate agent, he will potentially avoid two situations regarding the price. First, a seller may list the property at too high a price, which would impede viable offers being made. The real estate agent will know the market and be aware of the realistic price at which the property is to be offered. Second, the real estate agent may also ensure that the property is not offered at a price that is lower than the seller should receive in this market.

Sellers do not want to experience the delay of their transaction due to a property or title defect that could have been resolved. For instance, it is not unusual for a seasoned real estate agent to view the applicable municipal records to confirm that all improvements have been properly permitted and that a Certificate of Occupancy has been issued for the premises. Of course, there is nothing to prevent the homeowner for conducting such a search. Whether the real estate agent or the homeowner conducts such a search is immaterial. However, it is important to be aware as early in the process as to whether such issues exist, so that they are resolved to allow for the timely closing anticipated by the parties.