Rosenberg & Estis, P.C.: Common Law Right to Use Self-Help To Evict a Commercial Licensee

Michael E. LefkowitzManaging Member, Rosenberg & Estis, P.C.

Common Law Right to Use Self-Help

To Evict a Commercial Licensee
By Joshua R. Kopelowitz

When a commercial ten­ant stays beyond the term of a lease and refuses to leave, own­ers often have little alternative but to go through a time-consuming and expensive court pro­cess. Any attempt to evict the tenant by changing the locks may subject the owner to severe penalties. Sig­nificantly, under Section 853 of New York’s Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law (RPAPL), a victim of an unlawful eviction may recover an amount that is three times the damages from the malfeasant.

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