Squatter sublets NYC apartment while owing ‘betrayed’ landlord $72K in rent:
A crafty squatter bilked his landlord of at least $72,000 in rent for his Lower East Side apartment — then made tens of thousands in profit by subletting the unit, the owner charges.
For three years, computer programmer Thor Boucher hasn’t paid a cent of his bargain-rate $2,000-a-month, two-bedroom, one-bathroom Essex Street pad, claiming he didn’t have to because the building was noisy and shook, according to landlord Ed Yau and Manhattan Civil Court documents.
The alleged freeloader had no qualms renting the space out, though, charging as much as $1950 per room monthly since November 2021 on platforms including Airbnb and Craigslist.
“I feel betrayed by my politicians, the bureaucracy,” Yau told The Post.
“The system needs to be fair because right now it’s easily exploited,” he added. “Housing court is not functioning so rent is optional — they don’t have to pay and nothing is going to happen to them.”
The man currently in Yau’s apartment said he moved in October and confirmed he paid rent to Boucher — but declined to share how much and said he had no clue Boucher was bilking the landlord.
“You’ll have to talk to Thor,” he said repeatedly, before shutting the door.
Yau slammed Boucher as a “professional grifter,” who stopped paying rent less than three months after inking his December 2020 lease. Efforts to boot Boucher have been stymied by the state’s tenant-friendly laws and the housing court system “bending over backwards for the tenant,” Yau said. --->READ MORE HERE
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| Featured Image Credit: Ed Yau/Getty Stock Image |
Landlord Ed Yau says his tenant refused to pay rent for three years
A landlord was left in shock after an alleged squatter reportedly made tens of thousands of dollars subletting his New York apartment - despite owing him at least $72,000 in rent.
For the last three years, the tenant - Thor Boucher - has reportedly refused to pay any rent in the $2,000-a-month, two-bed Lower East Side apartment in Manhattan.
Boucher claims he doesn't have to pay up because the building was 'noisy and shook' according to landlord Ed Yau and Manhattan Civil Court documents.
It seems he has however been subletting the space for some time, charging $1,950 per month for over two years.
Naturally, Yau feels betrayed over what's happened and says officials haven't been much help.
“I feel betrayed by my politicians, the bureaucracy,” Yau told The New York Post.
“The system needs to be fair because right now it’s easily exploited.
“Housing court is not functioning so rent is optional — they don’t have to pay and nothing is going to happen to them.”
The man living in Yau's apartment said he has been paying rent to Boucher, but did not say how much when approached by The Post.
“You’ll have to talk to Thor,” he said, shutting the door. --->READ MORE HERE
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