So, you want to evict your tenant.
Is there a lease? Has it expired? Month-to-month? Rent stabilized/controlled? Legal/illegal apt? Section 8 tenant? Multiple family dwelling? Which County?…..all important questions.
Generally, you will be bringing a Non-payment or Holdover proceeding:
Lease exists, but tenant not paying
In a Non-payment action the Landlord needs to make a “rent demand” (usu. 3 day notice and can be made orally, but see what the lease says). Landlord can file the petition and notice of petition for non-payment if no rent paid by day #4. You will have to have the tenant(s) properly served with the petition and notice. Usually, if tenant pays, tenant stays!
Expired lease or month-to-month tenancy
In a Holdover action you may have to have the tenant(s) properly served with a “30 day notice to quit.” This can be tricky . You will file a holdover petition and notice of petition and have tenant properly served with same.
The above is far from complete. We are just trying to give you some insight. Hope it helps. Good luck!
Visit our Landlord-Tenant category to learn more about Landlord-Tenant issues.
As always, The Long Island Landlord-Tenant Law Firm of VAUGHN & WEBER, PLLC is here to assist you. We are conveniently located in the heart of Nassau County, Long Island, at 217 Willis Avenue in Mineola, NY 11501. Contact us at (516) 858-2620 to arrange a consultation with a Landlord-Tenant attorney.
Bank won’t modify my mortgage, how can I use the chapter 7 bankruptcy I just filed to avoid foreclosure?
The following are “some” of the things you can do to avoid foreclosure if you just filed a chapter 7 bankruptcy:
“Maybe” filing a “chapter 20” bankruptcy, which is a chapter 7 followed by a chapter 13, will help you.
- make sure the ch. 7 discharge is granted;
- some time after discharge is granted in the 7, but before the sale date of course, file a ch. 13 to force the lender to accept the current payment + the arrears spread over 36 or 60 months.
- Note: There likely won’t be a discharge at the end of the Chapter 13. This really shouldn’t matter because you just received a chapter 7 discharge.
- Note: You should consider “stripping off” any judgment and/or wholly unsecured liens.
- Note: If this is investment property you can try to cram it down in a ch.13. However, the cramdown value has to be paid off by completion of the ch. 13 plan.
If none of the above will work, you could:
- After discharge, continue trying to obtain a loan modification from your lender (the foreclosure action will likely continue unopposed).
- Contest the foreclosure action in state court after the stay is lifted or terminates.
- Note: You may be able to defend the foreclosure even if a default judgment has been entered against you(see our earlier post “Fighting foreclosure after default judgment.”)
This is not legal advice!
The Law Firm of Vaughn & Weber, PLLC routinely represents homeowners facing foreclosure who have already filed or need to file for bankruptcy. We examine each homeowner’s specific situation to determine their best course of action.
We proudly assist residents of Long Island (Nassau county, Suffolk county) and New York City (Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island, Manhattan) with their bankruptcy and foreclosure matters.
Call (516) 858-2620 to arrange a FREE consultation with a bankruptcy and foreclosure attorney!
Please visit our Foreclosure category to learn more about foreclosure issues.
Please visit our Bankruptcy category to learn more about filing for bankruptcy.
90 Day Pre-Foreclosure Notice
I just received a 90 day pre-foreclosure notice; what does this mean?
NY foreclosure law now requires that a 90-day pre-foreclosure notice be sent to many homeowners facing foreclosure. The 90-day notice requirement must be sent to homeowners, at risk of foreclosure, who own and occupy a 1-4 family dwelling as their principal residence.
The notice has to be in 14 point type and sent at least ninety (90) days before a lender, an assignee or a mortgage loan servicer commences legal action against the borrower. The 90 day foreclosure notice shall include the following:
“YOU COULD LOSE YOUR HOME. PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING
NOTICE CAREFULLY”
“As of ___, your home loan is ___ days in default. Under New York
State Law, we are required to send you this notice to inform you that
you are at risk of losing your home. You can cure this default by making
the payment of _____ dollars by ____.
If you are experiencing financial difficulty, you should know that
there are several options available to you that may help you keep your
home. Attached to this notice is a list of government approved housing
counseling agencies in your area which provide free or very low-cost
counseling. You should consider contacting one of these agencies
immediately. These agencies specialize in helping homeowners who are
facing financial difficulty. Housing counselors can help you assess your
financial condition and work with us to explore the possibility of
modifying your loan, establishing an easier payment plan for you, or
even working out a period of loan forbearance. If you wish, you may also
contact us directly at __________ and ask to discuss possible options.
While we cannot assure that a mutually agreeable resolution is
possible, we encourage you to take immediate steps to try to achieve a
resolution. The longer you wait, the fewer options you may have.
If this matter is not resolved within 90 days from the date this
notice was mailed, we may commence legal action against you (or sooner
if you cease to live in the dwelling as your primary residence.)
If you need further information, please call the New York State
Banking Department’s toll-free helpline at 1-877-BANK-NYS
(1-877-226-5697) or visit the Department’s website at
http://www.banking.state.ny.us”
Ideally, the 90 day pre -foreclosure notice is sent prior to the start of the foreclosure action and allows a homeowner to work with their lender to prevent the foreclosure of their home. If you have received a 90 day foreclosure notice, you should consider calling a foreclosure defense attorney to discuss your options.
Long Island Foreclosure Attorneys
As always, the Law Firm of Vaughn, Weber & Prakope, PLLC is here to assist you. We are conveniently located in the heart of Nassau County, Long Island, NY. Contact us at (516) 858-2620 to arrange a consultation with a foreclosure defense attorney.
Please visit our Foreclosure category to learn more about foreclosure issues.
Tenant Files Bankruptcy
What happens if my tenant files bankruptcy?
Back Rent
If the tenant owed back rent and filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy, that debt is now likely discharged. This means that you will never be able to collect the rent that was owed to you at the time the tenant filed for bankruptcy. The tenant can voluntarily pay you, but you can not attempt to collect that past due rent while the automatic stay is in effect or after the debt is discharged. Such attempts would be either a stay or discharge violation.
Eviction
If you were in the process of evicting your tenant when they filed for bankruptcy, that eviction action is now likely stayed. This means that you will have to make a “lift stay” motion and have it granted by a Bankruptcy Court Judge in order to continue with the eviction in Landlord-Tenant court. However, under certain specific circumstances you will be allowed to continue with the eviction despite your tenant having filed for bankruptcy.
Long Island Landlord Tenant Attorney
As always, the Law Firm of Vaughn, Weber & Prakope, PLLC is here to assist you. Call (516) 858-2620 to arrange a FREE consultation with a Landlord Tenant attorney!
Please visit our Bankruptcy category to learn more about filing chapter 7 or 13 bankruptcy.
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