Jacob Chetrit, brother to Joseph Chetrit, has filed a lawsuit seeking to evict a rent-stabilized tenant who he claims is renting her Upper West Side apartment on Airbnb while living elsewhere.
The suit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, claims that Staci Poole listed her apartment at Chetrit-owned 784 Columbus Avenue for $190 per night on Airbnb, and has been using the site for short-term rentals since 2011. The suit notes that state law prohibits her from renting the apartment out for periods fewer than 30 days.
Chetrit says that Poole herself lives one block away on West 97th Street, according to the New York Post. A Hell’s Kitchen tenant who rented out his rent-stabilized apartment while living elsewhere was evicted last month.
Yesterday, REBNY president Steven Spinola penned an opinion piece criticizing rent-stabilized tenants who profit from Airbnb rentals. In January, the City Council held a lengthy meeting to discuss how to proceed with regard to short-term rentals, but the city has yet to take decisive action. [NYP] — Tess Hofmann