Source: http://itkowitzteachingandpublishing.itkowitz.com/2013/12/if-tenant-has-two-bedroom-apartment-and.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 00:47:37+00:00

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Itkowitz PLLC Teaching and Publishing: If a Tenant has a Two Bedroom Apartment and Rents out the Second Bedroom to Various People Throughout the Year but Still Resides in the Other Bedroom - Can the Landlord Evict the Tenant?
If a Tenant has a Two Bedroom Apartment and Rents out the Second Bedroom to Various People Throughout the Year but Still Resides in the Other Bedroom - Can the Landlord Evict the Tenant?
Question: If a tenant has a two bedroom apartment and rents out the second bedroom to various people throughout the year but still resides in the other bedroom - can the landlord evict the tenant?
Answer: Yes. The landlord can evict the tenant for renting the second bedroom of his or her apartment to various people throughout the year.
I would start my analysis by looking at the Roommate Law. Under New York Real Property Law § 235(f), often referred to as the Roommate Law, a residential lease entered into by one tenant implicitly permits that tenant to share the apartment with either his/her immediate family or unrelated persons “for reasons of economy, safety and companionship.” RPL § 235(f)-3. This is true even if the lease says otherwise. But your series of renters of the second bedroom does not sound like roommates. Rather, it sounds like a this is a series of subtenants. So let’s look at what the law has to say about subtenants.
The tenant needs the written consent of the landlord BEFORE a sublet can begin. That approval can take as long as 40 days to come, pursuant to Real Property Law § 226-b. Although the landlord may not unreasonably withhold consent, the 40 days advance permission element of the law makes subletting difficult. I seldom, if ever, see tenants complying with it.
1. Unless a greater right to assign is conferred by the lease, a tenant renting a residence may not assign his lease without the written consent of the owner, which consent may be unconditionally withheld without cause provided that the owner shall release the tenant from the lease upon request of the tenant upon thirty days notice if the owner unreasonably withholds consent which release shall be the sole remedy of the tenant. If the owner reasonably withholds consent, there shall be no assignment and the tenant shall not be released from the lease.
(a) Housing accommodations subject to this Code rented by a tenant pursuant to an existing lease may be sublet in accordance with the provisions, and subject to the limitations, of section 226-b of the Real Property Law, provided that the additional provisions of this section are complied with and provided further that the tenant can establish that at all times he or she has maintained the housing accommodation as his or her primary residence and intends to occupy it as such at the expiration of the sublease.
(b) The rental charged to the subtenant by the tenant shall not exceed the legal regulated rent plus no more than a 10-percent surcharge payable to the tenant if the housing accommodation is sublet fully furnished. Where a tenant violates the provisions of this subdivision, the subtenant shall be entitled to treble damages.
(f) An owner may terminate the tenancy of a tenant who sublets contrary to the terms of this section, …, but no action or proceeding to terminate tenancy based upon the nonprimary residence of a tenant may be commenced prior to the expiration date of his or her lease.
Finally, no discussion of this issue would be complete without bringing up the “Air B&B” situation in New York City. In many cities across the country, including New York, offering your home for rent to the short-term vacation traveler is illegal. Effective May 1, 2011, New York State made it illegal to rent or sublease any private apartment for a term of less than 30 days.
(B) incidental and occasional occupancy of such dwelling unit for fewer than thirty consecutive days by other natural persons when the permanent occupants are temporarily absent for personal reasons such as vacation or medical treatment, provided that there is no monetary compensation paid to the permanent occupants for such occupancy.
Supporters of the law characterize short term rentals (units rented for fewer than 30 days) as "illegal hotels" which create nuisance and security issues for regular tenants in the building. Supporters also point to decreased hotel tax revenue. See Dexter 345 Inc. v. Cuomo, 663 F.3d 59 (2011). Some hosts learn the rules the hard way. The New York Times reported on one renter who offered his home as a "Air B&B" for three nights, only to be surprised by $40,000 in fines when he returned to his home.
If the apartment is Rent Stabilized, landlord would follow the dictates of Rent Stabilization Code § 2525.6, § 2524.3(h), and § 2524. If the apartment is not Rent Stabilized, landlord can default the tenant pursuant to the subletting sections of the lease and the clause of the lease that says that the tenant shall occupy the apartment lawfully.
Proof, however, is another matter. For that you might want to utilize cameras or e-discovery (having the court order that the tenant’s email gets look at it – where he is booking these revolving second-bedroom renters). Also - check out my e-book on High Tech (But Not Necessarily Expensive) Ways to Prove Difficult Landlord and Tenant Cases.

References: § 235
 § 235
 § 226
 v. 
in fine
 § 2525
 § 2524
 § 2524