Some occupants of a Midtown East high-rise may be traveling for business, but a suit filed Thursday says they’re staying to party.
The complaint filed by Perlbinder Realty, landlord at the Rivercourt, 429 East 52nd Street, alleges the occupants of 11 of the building’s 292 units have yelled, played loud music, hot-boxed their rooms smoking pot and rode motorcycles in the courtyards — and possibly in the hallway.
The landlord is suing Corporate Habitat, which provides furnished, luxury stays of 30 days or more to renters traveling for business. The firm, led for eight years by Avi Waknine, leased the apartments in question.
The luxury rental company also owes its landlord a fair chunk of rent. The suit says Corporate Habitat stopped paying for 21 units in April 2021, racking up over $1.6 million in arrears. Tenants of 11 non-paying units are still living there, adding to the total.
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Meanwhile, the lessee has failed to curb the tenants’ bad behavior, which has drawn complaints from neighbors.
Calls for comment to Corporate Habitat were met with a full voicemail box and an error message.
Perlbinder Realty is seeking damages for the arrears and an injunction that would compel the corporate housing company to remove the tenants and their belongings.
The landlord’s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.