The Man, The Loophole, and The Hotel Room
A loophole in New York’s rental law empowered a man to stay in a building but he took it too far
Mickey Barreto moved cross-country to be with his boyfriend in June 2018. They planned on building a life together and doing all the things that couples do. They loved one another very much, by all accounts.
But they weren’t ready to live together straight away.
So, Barreto went to the New Yorker Hotel located near Penn Station. He rented a room for the night. The attendant assigned him room 2565. It was big enough for him and had a view of Midtown Manhattan.
There was a plan in place for him to have a place to live until the couple decided that they were ready to move to the next step.
Barreto’s boyfriend told him about a loophole in New York’s rental laws. One that was unknown to most people but could be exploited to help those who needed rental stabilization.
Under the law, an occupant of a single-room in a building built before 1969 has the right to demand a six-month lease.
The morning after he checked into the hotel, Barreto went down and asked for the hotel manager. Once they were face to face, an uncomfortable conversation took place.
