{"id":435881,"date":"2022-04-22T21:34:51","date_gmt":"2022-04-22T18:34:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/lone-holdout-tenant-is-blocking-this-70m-nyc-condo-tower\/"},"modified":"2022-04-22T21:34:51","modified_gmt":"2022-04-22T18:34:51","slug":"lone-holdout-tenant-is-blocking-this-70m-nyc-condo-tower","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/lone-holdout-tenant-is-blocking-this-70m-nyc-condo-tower\/","title":{"rendered":"#Lone holdout tenant is blocking this $70M NYC condo tower"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a332e5c79718\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a332e5c79718\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/lone-holdout-tenant-is-blocking-this-70m-nyc-condo-tower\/#%E2%80%9CLone_holdout_tenant_is_blocking_this_70M_NYC_condo_tower%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Lone holdout tenant is blocking this $70M NYC condo tower&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CLone_holdout_tenant_is_blocking_this_70M_NYC_condo_tower%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Lone holdout tenant is blocking this $70M NYC condo tower&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>It\u2019s David and Goliath, Upper West Side edition.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A lone diehard tenant\u2019s refusal to leave his Manhattan apartment is preventing a global real estate development investment firm from moving forward on a $70 million condo deal involving his building.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The renter, 52-year-old Ahmet Nejat Ozsu, says he is legally entitled to continue living in his apartment of 15 years. His new landlord, the Naftali Group, disagrees, and is now suing Ozsu and his lawyer for more than $25 million in response to their resistance and defense of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe has a legal right to stay on the premises under ERAP,\u201d Ozsu\u2019s attorney, Adam Leitman Bailey, told The Post of New York State\u2019s pandemic-era Emergency Rental Assistance Program, under which Ozsu may be allowed to live in the unit for another full year or more.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnfortunately, the landlord hasn\u2019t accepted this,\u201d Leitman Bailey continued. <\/p>\n<p>Instead, he said, the developer has allegedly installed a loud fan (for the sole purpose of making an irritating din) and a security camera outside his door, s<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trip<\/a>ped the floor of all fire safety signs, and hired workers to yell and spit at him when he exits and enters the building, all for the sole purpose of making Ozsu\u2019s life at 215 W. 84th St. unbearable.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven though he\u2019s knocking down the building, he has done construction directly opposite his dwelling every day,\u201d Leitman Bailey added. <\/p>\n<p>The Naftali Group purchased the 128-apartment building for $70 million last June, and while they\u2019ve yet to file for new construction permits, local zoning expert and urban planner George M. Janes <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/04\/16\/realestate\/tenant-protections-nyc-upper-west-side.html\">told the New York Times<\/a> a complete demolition followed by the construction of a new residential tower is the most likely scenario.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe current circumstance at 215 W. 84th St. represents a holdover situation, where a singular tenant occupying a market-rate apartment has not respected his contractual obligations after his month-to-month lease was lawfully terminated in December of 2021,\u201d Y. David Scharf, the chairman of law firm Morrison Cohen, which is representing the developer, told The Post in a statement. \u201cWhile the building owner respects the rights of tenants, especially as it pertains to the current programs in place for rental assistance in New York City, this is completely not the case here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ahmet-nejat-ots-eagle-court-1.jpg?w=768\" alt=\"ahmet nejat ozsu upper west side\" class=\"wp-image-22002176\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ahmet-nejat-ots-eagle-court-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ahmet-nejat-ots-eagle-court-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1152 1152w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ahmet-nejat-ots-eagle-court-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=768 768w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ahmet-nejat-ots-eagle-court-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=384 384w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ahmet-nejat-ots-eagle-court-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\"\/><figcaption>From left, Ahmet Nejat Ozsu and his attorney Adam Leitman Bailey.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Adam Leitman Bailey,<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ahmet-nejat-ots-eagle-court-2.jpg?w=768\" alt=\"ahmet nejat ozsu upper west side\" class=\"wp-image-22002177\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ahmet-nejat-ots-eagle-court-2.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ahmet-nejat-ots-eagle-court-2.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1152 1152w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ahmet-nejat-ots-eagle-court-2.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=768 768w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ahmet-nejat-ots-eagle-court-2.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=384 384w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ahmet-nejat-ots-eagle-court-2.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\"\/><figcaption>An industrial-strength fan the developer has installed outside of Ozsu\u2019s door.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Adam Leitman Bailey,<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ahmet-nejat-ots-eagle-court-3.jpg?w=768\" alt=\"ahmet nejat ozsu upper west side\" class=\"wp-image-22002180\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ahmet-nejat-ots-eagle-court-3.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ahmet-nejat-ots-eagle-court-3.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1152 1152w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ahmet-nejat-ots-eagle-court-3.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=768 768w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ahmet-nejat-ots-eagle-court-3.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=384 384w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ahmet-nejat-ots-eagle-court-3.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\"\/><figcaption>A security camera directly outside Ozsu\u2019s apartment. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Adam Leitman Bailey,<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ahmet-nejat-ots-eagle-court-4.jpg?w=768\" alt=\"ahmet nejat ozsu upper west side\" class=\"wp-image-22002183\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ahmet-nejat-ots-eagle-court-4.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ahmet-nejat-ots-eagle-court-4.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1152 1152w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ahmet-nejat-ots-eagle-court-4.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=768 768w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ahmet-nejat-ots-eagle-court-4.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=384 384w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ahmet-nejat-ots-eagle-court-4.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\"\/><figcaption>The developer has been doing \u201cdaily\u201d construction on Ozsu\u2019s floor despite likely plans to demolish the building. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Adam Leitman Bailey,<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/eagle-court-2.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"ahmet nejat ozsu upper west side\" class=\"wp-image-22002186\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/eagle-court-2.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/eagle-court-2.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/eagle-court-2.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>The developer will likely demolish the building and construct a new residential tower in its place. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Google Maps<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Ozsu filed for ERAP after his market-rate, month-to-month lease expired in December, Scharf claimed, noting that Ozsu was not singled out: Every building tenant was served a termination notice. As well, Ozsu has been nonresponsive to an offer of comparable space at a comparable rent for two years and instead biding his time in hopes of receiving a seven-figure payout, an insider with knowledge of the situation told The Post.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have the right to be here,\u201d Ozsu insisted to the Times of himself and his 13-year-old boxer-mix Penelope\u2019s occupation of his 700-square-foot, $3,350 top-floor one bedroom, which boasts a private balcony. \u201cAnd I have no place to go.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For years Ozsu worked as a software engineer, but has been unemployed for some time now, and owes <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roximately $13,600 in back rent.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Now, in addition to the loss of his job and imminent loss of his apartment, he\u2019s also dealing with a $25 million lawsuit Naftali recently filed against him. A Naftali attorney not part of that litigation is also now personally suing Leitman Bailey.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve never gotten that in 27 years,\u201d he told The Post.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Scharf said that suit is in response to Leitman Bailey acting unethically towards the building owners.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If the situation sounds ridiculous, even by the insane standards of New York City real estate drama, Leitman Bailey said, it\u2019s because it is: \u201cI mostly represent developers. [Ozsu] was recommended to me by a developer who was disgusted that Naftali was making other developers look bad.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s not even personally \u201ca fan\u201d of many tenant protection laws passed by the state legislature. \u201cI\u2019m a capitalist,\u201d he proudly declared, \u201cbut I have to follow them, because they\u2019re New York laws.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Naftali, meanwhile, has \u201cdecided that they\u2019re going to skirt them and bully and harass [Ozsu] out of the building instead of respecting his right to live there under the current laws that exist,\u201d he said. \u201cMy client is really sweet and innocent, and he\u2019s living in fear.\u201d\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/04\/22\/lone-holdout-tenant-is-blocking-this-70m-nyc-condo-tower\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Lone holdout tenant is blocking this $70M NYC condo tower&#8221; It\u2019s David and Goliath, Upper West Side edition.\u00a0 A lone diehard tenant\u2019s refusal to leave his Manhattan apartment is preventing a global real estate development investment firm from moving forward on a $70 million condo deal involving his building.\u00a0 The renter, 52-year-old Ahmet Nejat Ozsu,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":435882,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ahmet-nejat-ots-eagle-court-00.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[128343,92847,4952,72033],"class_list":["post-435881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-4-22-22","tag-condos","tag-manhattan","tag-upper-west-side"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=435881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/435882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=435881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=435881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=435881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}