Landlord at virtual court hearing Tuesday.
A landlord plans to get married. He needs more living space so he can live with his wife. So he is trying to evict three out of four tenants in his home, all of whom, he argued, overstayed their leases, and, in one case, left him with “worries for his life.”
The landlord, Syed A. Imam, owner of a property on Rock Street, is currently sleeping on a couch in someone else’s abode.
In two weeks, when his fiancee flies to the States from India, he told a judge at a hearing Tuesday in state housing court, he plans to move into his house.
The house is currently occupied by four people. Each is on a monthly lease.
The fourth tenant was, according to Imam, “cooperative” about leaving. He served the other three with eviction papers after they allegedly refused to vacate the premises after Imam’s 90-day notice of lease expiration.
After hearing the full story, Judge Anthony Avallone ruled in favor of Imam’s quest to evict the tenants.
One of the three defendants did not show up in court Tuesday.
A second tenant had a witness vouch for him. Avallone granted that tenant a stay until March 31 to move out.
The third tenant, Patrick Cooper, represented himself in court.
Along with claiming that Cooper’s lease agreement expired last year, Imam also alleged that Cooper has been a “serious nuisance” and that he threatened to physically harm or kill him multiple times.
In court documents, Imam further wrote that “the defendant/tenant is ex-military, has access to firearms, is well-versed with their use, and has anger management problems.”
“That’s a lie,” Cooper responded to the allegations when contacted after the hearing.
“I’m the nicest guy. “I Never threatened him. Only thing I threatened him with was that I’ll sue him.”
A federal eviction moratorium is in place because of Covid-19. But to qualify for it, tenants need to use “best efforts” to obtain governmental assistance. Imam alleged in a court filing that Cooper “has not made good faith effort to obtain available assistance” due to being dismissed from an assistance program after hiding his finances.
For his part, Cooper emphasized that he had the ability to pay his rent and other bills. He told Avallone he didn’t understand why, if he had the money available, Imam wouldn’t accept it.
“It’s a right, but it’s not fair,” he said in the hearing. “That’s crazy.”
The judge ruled against him, reiterating that Imam had the right to choose not to renew the lease and refuse to take rent.
Cooper has until March 30 to leave, according to Avallone’s ruling.
After the hearing Cooper told the Independent that he respected the judgment but found it “weird” that he was getting kicked out despite affording his rent. But, he added that he does have options for where to go next, including staying with a relative or even possibly buying a new apartment with other tenants at the property who are also being evicted.
“As long as they’re a will, there’s a way,” he added. “Got to stay positive about it.”