If you are a small Landlord in NYC you are f&*ked

[Valkorado]

 

[shadowsoftime]

This thread brings to mind two points for me:

I love the way the jewish culture has developed words for behaviors.  A favorite is "schnorrer".  From wikipedia,

"Schnorrer (שנאָרער; also spelled shnorrer) is a Yiddish term meaning "beggar" or "sponger".[1] The word Schnorrer originally occurred in the German language to describe a freeloader who frequently asks for little things, like cigarettes or little sums of money, without offering a return.

"The English language usage of the word denotes a sly chiseler who will get money out of his acquaintances any way he can, often through an air of entitlement. A schnorrer is distinguished from an ordinary beggar by dint of his boundless chutzpah. Like "moocher", "schnorrer" does not apply to direct begging or destitution, but rather a habit of getting things (food, tools) by politely or insistently borrowing them with no intention of return. "


A couple examples in entertainment:  In the Northern Exposure episode "Northern Hospitality," Dr. Joel Fleishman is perceived as a schnorrer because of his failure to reciprocate dinner invitations.
In Seinfeld, Kramer was a schnorrer - mooched off Jerry constantly.

I have a neighbor who is a schnorrer.  He introduced himself to me by knocking on my door and asked me to custom-cut a large piece of metal for him.  "Oh by the way, I'm your neighbor Kirk."  I did it for him, took 2 hours, one for setup and one to cut it - normal shop rate is $60/hr which is cheap for this industry.  Not to mention, the gas and custom jig needed.  I rushed it through, delivered the next morning, and he complained it didn't fit - it was exactly what he ordered, he didn't measure it right. Recall the maxim, "measure twice, cut once."  He measured once.  Then he says, "Do I owe you anything?"  Of course he owes me - the appropriate behavior is to hand me cash, not ask if it's free.  But I let him off for 1: Goodwill, and 2: it's an investment.  Since he now owes me, I'll never see his freebie requests again - or even him at my door - unless he has incredible chutzpah - another great yiddish word.  At which time I'll remind him he still hasn't paid for his last request; my shop isn't free, my suppliers don't GIVE me supplies because I have a schnorrer for a customer, or have other costs.  

Kirk replaced the previous owner of the house he is in, who was the same.  Paul S. got evicted because he bought a Harley instead of paying his mortgage.  The bank is not as forgiving as he expected.  He was the youngest of a large family, who was never required to be accountable.  He constantly mooched off of me, for tools which he always returned very late or damaged.  I told him, "you know, Harbor Freight has great prices for tools."  He said, "I can't buy tools, my kids always lose them."  So instead he can lose my tools, which are needed for my business.  His kids didn't fall far from the tree - they came over with flat tires on their bikes once, and I aired them up and told them how to repair them.  They were back 2 days later, wanting my time and air again.  Apparently I am now the operator of their free air station; repairing their flats isn't necessary.  I told them, the free air was a one-time thing, not an ongoing free service - they need to fix their tires.

Second point - Benjamin Franklin said, "When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic."

I have family like that.

[Jess from VA]

Mark, it's one thing when your neighbor is a Schnorrer.

It's quite another when a large percentage of the population is.  So are governments with their taxes.

I've had a couple neighbors ask about borrowing things.  I tell them that my machinery and expensive equipment will not be loaned, but if they need a shovel, hoe, rake, pick, axe or sledge hammer I could do that for them.  But they never want to borrow any of those.  I suspect it's because they don't like the idea that all those items require an energetic, sweating human to operate them.  

I have a new young couple for neighbors who are not allergic to hard work.  Last year I saw him out working his ass off digging out the ancient sturdy hedge all the way around his corner lot (in the dead of VA summer and sun).  At one bush every four hours, he'd be lucky to finish by Christmas (if he survived the heart attack).  I went over and asked him why he was killing himself with this project, and he said his wife didn't like the hedge.  Newlyweds.... good lord.  (He's like 5'6" 140lbs)

I told him the way to do this was to use a sawzall or chainsaw to cut them as low as possible, then poison the roots and in a year or two it would be all gone.  No, that wasn't fast enough.

So I gave him some other advice, and the next day he had a Rider truck in his yard with a chain, and was ripping them out from the driver's seat.  Better living through industrial demolition.  

[Rams]

I told him the way to do this was to use a sawzall or chainsaw to cut them as low as possible, then poison the roots and in a year or two it would be all gone.  No, that wasn't fast enough.

So I gave him some other advice, and the next day he had a Rider truck in his yard with a chain, and was ripping them out from the driver's seat.  Better living through industrial demolition.  

Some folks here are aware that I'm currently renovating and adding on to our new home.   I have a General Contractor to get it done.   His crew is half experienced and half new to construction.   I am constantly watching the newer (and sometimes the more experienced) crew do things that have me scratching my head.   Doing things in very unproductive ways or using inappropriate tools for the task.   I usually give them some advice on how I'd recommend doing it.   But, I always end the conversation with, work smarter, not harder.

Rams

[Jess from VA]

I usually give them some advice on how I'd recommend doing it.   But, I always end the conversation with, work smarter, not harder.

I bet they love that.   

But I've done the same thing.  Although sometimes, I'm just trying to learn something myself.

If they're paid lump sum, it doesn't cost you anything if they work harder, and not smarter.

But if their paid hourly (or beating things up, which pisses me off), then you jump right in.

I've had guys or crews that knew exactly what they're doing, but the crew of 3 Iranians doing my ceramic tile were having a periodic jihad near-fistfights in my basement.  I was laughing so hard, I shamed them into working quieter.   

My Farsi isn't that good, but there was a lot of discussions involving mothers, donkeys and camels.   

[3fan4life]

My Farsi isn't that good, but there was a lot of discussions involving mothers, donkeys and camels.   

That might've been more perverted than funny if you understood the language better. 

[Oss]

got a partial victory

OCA says lawyers can now prepare predicate notices even if we can't file yet

I have been doing it all along just next to impossible to get a process server to work

They can kiss my tuchas

will be filing a notice of claim next week against the Department of Investigations which has prevented City Marshals from serving eviction notices.

I figure this has cost me 5 figures easily so far this year
bonus      I am preparing and having clients also filing notices of claim electronically against both Office of Court Administration and Department of Investigation

It costs nothing to stab the OCA and DOI in the eye with a sharp stick and they deserve it for depriving citizens of due process and equal protection.  Someone has to step up, might as well be me

[MarkT]

Mark, it's one thing when your neighbor is a Schnorrer.

It's quite another when a large percentage of the population is.  So are governments with their taxes.

Evan's issues with a population of schnorrers is what brought my neighbor to mind.

[Rams]

My Farsi isn't that good, but there was a lot of discussions involving mothers, donkeys and camels.   

That might've been more perverted than funny if you understood the language better. 

Even more curious is just how and why Jess knew those particular terms, phrases and animals but, I'm not gonna ask...……….   

Rams 

[Jess from VA]

My Farsi isn't that good, but there was a lot of discussions involving mothers, donkeys and camels.  

That might've been more perverted than funny if you understood the language better.  

Even more curious is just how and why Jess knew those particular terms, phrases and animals but, I'm not gonna ask...……….    

Rams  

I spent enough time in the Middle East to pick up some of the language (mostly Turkish but as you might expect there's always some overlap with adjacent languages)

People may not know this, but English has far and away much more varied and colorful foul language than most other languages worldwide (which I have always considered a good deal, trying to raise it to a high art form my whole life).  

In the Middle East, common cursing mostly involves disparaging the other man's mother for having had sex with various animals.... thus making your verbal opponent the son of a donkey (eşek yavrusun).  Which is the most common insult of all (and can be either a great insult, or a term of friendly endearment, depending on the tone used by the speaker).

And turnabout is fair play; middle easterners often enjoyed learning and using English cuss words which might be the only English they knew.  Hey sonabich, how you doing?

But there were some pitfalls:  If you asked for 10 peaches at the farmers market, you just called the man 10 bastards.

And if you used the word sick (like I am sick today), sick (or sickema) meant fok (or dick), and you could never use that word in the presence of ladies.

The fighting words doctrine (and the concept of feud) is alive and well in the Middle East.

[Oss]

Progress,  (if you dont care stop reading now)

Got a chance to maybe move the mountain

I volunteered to host a zoom meeting of the Bronx county landlord tenant lawyers with the chief judge of the civil court system and the Bronx Chief Judge and will get to make my suggestions for how to make small steps to save Landlords   I have two that I think deserve to be done
One to allow Marshals to submit Warrants as people in Court have to do something to avoid the crush when they open for all and allow Holdover warrants to be served
Second to allow Landlords to file cases, and get dates but push the dates back to end of June or July and suspend the service rules to allow process servers to work 17 days before the court dates so all parties get proper notice.
Those 2 steps alone will allow Landlords the ability to move forward on the Holdover cases, not the nonpayment cases which the Governor has banned till Aug 20th

The meeting will be next Thursday.

In the meantime I am doing what I believe the Constitution and the Code of Professional Responsibility require to represent my clients zealously.  DOI can  still kiss my tush. Also wrote to the Commissioner and her Deputy why they will be on the receiving end of thousands of Notices of Claim very soon.  I have already prepared the first several but will wait till the meeting ends to send them out

Also I have given my clients links to the emails of their reps in NYC to threaten their jobs if they dont pay attention. 

We will see what we will see.

[JimC]

Good job Evan

jim

[G-Man]

Progress,  (if you dont care stop reading now)

Got a chance to maybe move the mountain

I volunteered to host a zoom meeting of the Bronx county landlord tenant lawyers with the chief judge of the civil court system and the Bronx Chief Judge and will get to make my suggestions for how to make small steps to save Landlords   I have two that I think deserve to be done
One to allow Marshals to submit Warrants as people in Court have to do something to avoid the crush when they open for all and allow Holdover warrants to be served
Second to allow Landlords to file cases, and get dates but push the dates back to end of June or July and suspend the service rules to allow process servers to work 17 days before the court dates so all parties get proper notice.
Those 2 steps alone will allow Landlords the ability to move forward on the Holdover cases, not the nonpayment cases which the Governor has banned till Aug 20th

The meeting will be next Thursday.

In the meantime I am doing what I believe the Constitution and the Code of Professional Responsibility require to represent my clients zealously.  DOI can  still kiss my tush. Also wrote to the Commissioner and her Deputy why they will be on the receiving end of thousands of Notices of Claim very soon.  I have already prepared the first several but will wait till the meeting ends to send them out

Also I have given my clients links to the emails of their reps in NYC to threaten their jobs if they dont pay attention. 

We will see what we will see.

As a member of the group you are trying to help,..... Thank you, Brother.

[Oss]

Push back

Cuomo and DiBlasio are doubling down on screwing all Landlords  The zoom meeting was all legal aid lawyers trying to bankrupt landlords. Like why the hell should a landlord have to ASK his tenant if he is on unemployment or has covid (a hippa issue) before she can ask for her rent in court.  Grandma cant get unemployment she only has the rent income and social security which is much less than unemployment. Zero care for any Landlord makes me want to puke on Diblasio's shoe

Yesterday a law firm in White Plains filed federal suit against Cuomo on his trying to stop all eviction rent cases till august 20th

I emailed the firm for advice on filing in Manhattan against DiBlasio DOI and NYC with good feedback and also recd email response from NY GOP about getting help to sue.  (What I remember about Federal Civil Procedure is about zero although I am admitted in Southern District of NY Fed ct)  

Positive response from clients about kicking in 1/40th of expenses to file suit as we need 40 to certify as a class  This is a way for the GOP to pick up minorities of all kinds as they all are being hurt by a system that does not consider them even human

Meanwhile I think a dozen of my clients have filed or will file Notices of Claim against NYC

and Housing Court has been LOCKED since St Patricks Day with no plan to do anything

Pathetic wankers who should all be fired

[Jess from VA]

Kick them in the nuts Evan.   

I would think partnering up with other local lawyers that do what you do would be a good idea, if any are willing.  You aren't trying to get money judgments (to split up), you are trying to get justice for property owner clients.  Without covering all the costs and hauling the whole load yourself. 

It's not always true, but sometimes multiple heads are better than one.   

[Oss]

New edict from the tiny minds

All evictions now stopped till almost end of September

I prepared three signs to hold with clients at noon today at Lou Gehrig  plaza

Nobody showed up

After a while I left.

I will try again for next week


Hate to say it but if I had 20 minority grandmothers (you would be surprised how many owners of 2-3 family dwellings are elderly widows) there would be no counter protest.  Everyone loves grandma

The signs said
--------------------
Cuomo no rent $ = No money for Taxes & Mortgage
Help us now
-------------------
EQUAL PROTECTION FOR SMALL LANDLORDS
--------------------
LANDLORDS NEED JUSTICE


It was opening day but of course no fans allowed in the stadium

Would have been terrific if fans and clients showed up

It is easier to bitch than to be proactive or reactive

Time to send an email again to 200 plus clients and 200 landlord lawyers asking them to forward to their clients   I will reach out to FOX on Monday

If there is no face to problems there is no possible change

[shadowsoftime]

I have a nice 3 BR, 2 Bath, 2 car garage brick home, tenant moved out end of February and I will not rent it out till this virus is well over with or may sell owner finance plus interest, get a large down payment, a decent monthly payment,  buyer keeps up all maintenance, insurance. If buyer defaults, foreclose and sale again and again and again, could be very profitable.

[3fan4life]

Unfortunately, the madness isn't limited to NYC.

I know an elderly lady that has been trying to get a squatter out of one of her properties since March.

It is a little complicated as the squatter began living there when a guy that was renting to own the place rented a room to her (no official contract exists).

That guy decided to give up his rights to the house and let it revert back to the original owner.

He tried to make the woman leave and she refused.

Not only has the woman not paid any rent whatsoever, the room that she is staying in cannot be legally rented (it has no bathroom).

Additionally, she literally Howls and screams all night long disturbing the tenants that are there legally.

Last week the case finally got before a judge.

He refused to hear the case, instead he told the landlord that she needed to hire an attorney.

He didn't guarantee that he would hear the case if she did.


I NEVER thought that I would see such craziness in Virginia.

Damn liberals have taken over everything.