Checkmate in WeHo for LA’s megamansion king

Embattled spec home developer Nile Niami placed a West Hollywood property in bankruptcy

Nile Niami and his West Hollywood property (Getty, iStock)
Nile Niami and his West Hollywood property (Getty, iStock)

Nile Niami has placed a West Hollywood spec mansion into bankruptcy, eight months after a creditor filed a notice of default on the property.

The bankruptcy filing, submitted by an entity Niami controls, values the property at $30 million and its liabilities around $59 million, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The property hit the market in early 2019 for $55 million then cut to $40 million. It’s not currently listed publicly.

A spokesperson for the embattled luxury developer said a creditor “misrepresented facts, and that put Nile in an untenable situation trying to force a foreclosure sale.”

The representative continued, “Nile is seeking all legal remedies to rectify the situation and protect his asset,” the Journal reported.

Canadian investor Lucien Remillard filed a notice of default on the property in April.

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Joseph Englanoff is also a lender on the property. Englanoff took control of one of Niami’s unsold spec homes in February — a 20,000-square-foot Beverly Hills mansion —  and recently sold it for an undisclosed sum.
The West Hollywood home spans 14,000 square feet with six bed rooms and 10 bathrooms.

Niami is currently facing a lawsuit from Compass Concierge for allegedly failing to repay a $200,000 loan on a Bel Air spec home. Compass Concierge fronts money to homeowners who list their properties with the brokerage.

Meanwhile, work is nearly done on Niami’s 100,000-square-foot mansion in Bel Air, dubbed, “The One.” He claimed as recently as 2018 that the home could sell for half a billion dollars.

 

[WSJ] — Dennis Lynch