Case Name: Merwest Realty Corp., Appellant, v. Fran Prager, Respondent, et al., Respondents
Court: New York Supreme Court, Appellate Term
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 1998-08-05
Citations: 177 Misc. 2d 956
Docket Number: 
Parties: Merwest Realty Corp., Appellant, v Fran Prager, Respondent, et al., Respondents.
Judges: 
Reporter: New York Miscellaneous Reports
Volume: 177
Pages: 956–959

Head Matter:
[679 NYS2d 519]
Merwest Realty Corp., Appellant, v Fran Prager, Respondent, et al., Respondents.
Supreme Court, Appellate Term, First Department,
August 5, 1998
APPEARANCES OF COUNSEL
Belkin Burden Wenig & Goldman, L. L. P., New York City (Sherwin Belkin, Magda L. Cruz and Jay H. Berg of counsel), for appellant. Himmelstein, McConnell, Gribben & Donoghue, New York City (Samuel J. Himmelstein of counsel), for respondent.

Opinion:
OPINION OF THE COURT
Per Curiam.
Order entered August 15, 1997 affirmed, with $10 costs.
Adopting the analysis of Judge Marcy Friedman at the Civil Court (173 Misc 2d 868), we agree that the parties' private agreement requiring the tenant to surrender possession of her rent-controlled apartment was void ab initio and cannot serve as a predicate for eviction under this holdover petition (see, NY City Rent and Rehabilitation Law [Administrative Code of City of NY] § 26-408 [a]; NY City Rent and Eviction Regulations [9 NYCRR] § 2200.15). We would add that the landlord cannot have relief from the rent control law or estop this long-term (30-year) tenant from asserting her statutory rights on the basis of any modest rent defaults attributed to tenant, or otherwise (see generally, Draper v Georgia Props., 230 AD2d 455, appeal dismissed 91 NY2d 849; Urban Assocs. v Hettinger, 177 AD2d 439, lv denied 79 NY2d 759).