Carriage House Realty Co. v. Conlon

128 Misc. 2d 143, 487 N.Y.S.2d 971, 1985 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3320
CourtYonkers City Court
DecidedMarch 27, 1985
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 128 Misc. 2d 143 (Carriage House Realty Co. v. Conlon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Yonkers City Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Carriage House Realty Co. v. Conlon, 128 Misc. 2d 143, 487 N.Y.S.2d 971, 1985 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3320 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1985).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Gilbert Rabin, J.

This holdover proceeding is based upon respondent’s failure to execute and return an acceptance of petitioner’s offer to renew the lease.

Respondent’s sixth affirmative defense alleges that respondent was not afforded an opportunity to cure her alleged failure prior to commencement of this summary proceeding.

Emergency Tenant Protection Regulations § 2503.5 (9 NYCRR) provides in pertinent part as follows:

“2503.5 Notice for renewal of lease. On a form prescribed by the division, every landlord shall notify the tenant in occupancy not more than 90 days and not less than 60 days prior to the end of the tenant’s lease term, by certified mail, of such termination of the lease term and offer to renew the lease at the legal regulated rent permitted for such renewal lease and otherwise on the same conditions as the expiring lease and shall give such tenant a period of 30 days from the date of mailing of such notice to renew such lease and accept the offer * * * The tenant’s acceptance of such offer shall be entered on the designated part [144]*144of the prescribed form, and returned to the landlord by certified mail.”

Emergency Tenant Protection Regulations § 2504.2 (9NYCRR) provides, in pertinent part, as follows:

“2504.2 Proceedings for eviction — wrongful acts of tenant. An action or proceeding to recover possession of any housing accommodation shall be maintainable after service and filing of the notice required by section 2504.3 of this Part only upon one or more of the following grounds wherein wrongful acts of the tenant are established * * *

“(f) The tenant has failed or refused following notice pursuant to section 2503.5 of this Chapter to renew an expiring lease in the manner prescribed in such notice”.

Emergency Tenant Protection Regulations § 2504.3 provides, in pertinent part, as follows:

“2504.3 Notices required in proceedings under section 2504.2 of this Part, (a) Except where the ground for removal or eviction of a tenant is nonpayment of rent, no tenant shall be removed or evicted from housing accommodations by court process and no action or proceeding shall be commenced for such purpose upon any of the grounds permitted in section 2504.2 of this Part unless and until the landlord shall have given written notice to the tenant and the division as hereinafter provided * * *

“(d) Every such notice shall be served upon the tenant:

“(1) in the case of a notice based upon section 2504.2 (f) of this Part, at least 15 days prior to the date specified therein for the surrender of possession; or

“(2) in the case of a notice on any other ground, at least one month prior to the date specified therein for the surrender of possession; and, in any event, prior to the commencement of any proceeding for removal or eviction. Such notice may be combined with a notice to cure if required by section 2504.2 of this Part and, in such case, the one-month period provided herein may, if the notice so provides, include the 10-day period specified in the notice to cure.”

These three sections of the regulations govern the procedure for the offering and acceptance of an offer to renew the lease and for commencement of a summary proceeding for failure to timely renew. None of these regulations require that a notice to cure must be served prior to commencement of a summary proceeding for failure to renew. The only notice required prior to commencement of a summary proceeding is a 15-day notice to quit pursuant to section 2504.3 (d) (1), and it is noted that [145]*145section 2504.3 (d) (2), setting forth the requirements for notice on any ground other than failure to renew, only makes provision for treatment of a notice to cure.

The respondent relies upon Emergency Tenant Protection Regulations § 2504.1 (9 NYCRR) which provides, in pertinent part, as follows:

“2504.1 Restrictions on removal of tenant * * *

“(d) In addition to any other limitation imposed by these regulations, no proceeding to recover possession of any housing accommodation based upon any wrongful act or omission of a tenant may be maintained unless the tenant has failed to cure the violation or other condition within 10 days of written demand by the landlord for correction thereof. The requirements of this subdivision shall not apply where the violation or condition:

“(1) is, by its nature, not curable”.

This court holds that a tenant’s failure or refusal to accept an order of a renewal lease within the time period specified in Emergency Tenant Protection Regulations § 2503.5 is, by its nature, not curable. Section 2503.5 is clear and unequivocal in its language. The tenant is given 30 days in which to accept the offer of renewal. Upon failure of the tenant to accept within 30 days, the landlord may proceed to recover possession without providing to tenant a further opportunity in which to decide whether to accept a renewal offer. To require the landlord to serve a notice to cure would impermissibly extend the tenant’s time in which to accept a renewal lease beyond the 30-day period specified in section 2503.5 for acceptance.

At best, a tenant’s failure to timely accept a renewal offer may be excusable (see, e.g., 67 8th Ave. Assoc, v Hochstadt, 88 AD2d 843), but a tenant is not entitled to an opportunity to cure as a matter of right.

Accordingly, this court holds that a notice to cure is not required prior to commencement of a summary proceeding for failure to accept a renewal offer pursuant to Emergency Tenant Protection Regulations § 2503.5 (9 NYCRR), and the petitioner’s motion to strike respondent’s sixth affirmative defense is granted.

[Portions of opinion omitted for purposes of publication.]

(On Motion for Renewal, July 3, 1985)

Respondent has moved, by order to show cause, to renew and/or reargue the decision and order of this court dated March 27, 1985, and upon renewal and/or reargument to vacate the [146]*146prior order, reinstate the sixth affirmative defense and to grant summary judgment on the entire matter in favor of respondent.

The issue determined in the March 27, 1985 decision was whether a landlord must serve a notice to cure prior to termination of a tenancy upon the ground of the tenant’s failure to timely renew the lease. This court held that a notice to cure was not required, and granted petitioner’s cross motion to strike respondent’s sixth affirmative defense.

The distinction between a motion to reargue and a motion to renew is clear. Upon reargument, the movant must show that the court either overlooked or misapplied relevant facts or misapplied controlling principles of law. Upon renewal, the movant must show existing material facts which were unknown at the time of the original motion. (300 W. Realty Co. v City of New York, 99 AD2d 708, 709, appeal dismissed 63 NY2d 952.) “A motion to renew is made on the grounds of additional facts and law not previously considered. As such, it is not as limited as a motion to reargue, which ordinarily may not be made after the time to appeal has expired. (Matter of Huie [Furman], 20 NY2d 568, 572)”. (Prude v County of Erie, 47 AD2d 111, 113-114.)

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
128 Misc. 2d 143, 487 N.Y.S.2d 971, 1985 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 3320, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/carriage-house-realty-co-v-conlon-nyyonkerscityct-1985.