Chetrits move to evict Hotel Chelsea tenants

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Hotel Chelsea
The Chetrit Group has filed motions to evict 10 longtime tenants from the Hotel Chelsea, DNAinfo reported, confirming fears that the owners’ statements upon purchasing the hotel, which indicated tenants would be allowed to stay, would prove false. The motions appeared in court records.

The landlords believe the tenants are eligible for eviction because they do not live in rent-stabilized apartments, according to Samuel Himmelstein, the lawyer representing tenants of the building, even though he has evidence that many have lived in the same unit since the 1970s. Himmelstein said the Chetrits want to evict at least one of the apartments in order to install a new elevator shaft.

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The Chetrits have also moved to evict several other tenants who are behind on rent — though those tenants say they haven’t paid because the renovations have severely damaged living conditions. The conditions during the construction process are the subject of another legal battle between the Chetrits and residents of the landmarked building at 222 West 23rd Street. [DNAinfo]