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118 Misc. 2d 253

Citation
118 Misc. 2d 253
Jurisdiction
New York (state)
Source verification
cross_accepted_sealed
Effective Date
1983-03-14

Full Text

1,150 chars
The final cause of action relies on section 234 of the Real Property Law: “Whenever a lease of residential property shall provide that in any action or summary proceeding the landlord may recover attorneys’ fees and/or expenses incurred as the result of the failure of the tenant to perform any covenant or agreement contained in such lease * * * there shall be implied in such lease a covenant by the landlord to pay to the tenant the reasonable attorneys’ fees and/or expenses incurred by the tenant as the result of the failure of the landlord to perform any covenant or agreement on its part to be performed under the lease”.
Defendant argues that the lease at bar is not a lease of residential property. The Real Property Law fails to define “residential property”. Clearly, the lease in form is for commercial property; but to say that it is not a lease of residential property assumes the result under the Loft Law. If it turns out to be a residential occupancy in whole or in part, then the existence of a clause in favor of the landlord for attorney’s fees would trigger the plaintiff’s right to invoke section 234 of the Real Property Law.