More middle-class New Yorkers face eviction

Lawyers, judges and tenant advocates say more middle-class New Yorkers who were once able to pay their rent are now facing eviction after losing jobs. “There’s definitely an uptick of people who were basically very good rent payers until the economic downturn,” said Todd Nahins, a lawyer who represents owners of luxury residential buildings and has been negotiating payment plans for tenants in arrears. No one knows exactly how many middle-class tenants are facing eviction since the city’s housing courts do not keep data on the income level of litigants. Overall, court records show that the number of cases filed citywide for nonpayment of rent jumped about 19 percent in the first two months of 2009 from the same period last year.