$1.2M deal on illegal rentals

NEW YORK CITY has reached a settlement that will make a hotel and property owner fork over $1.2 million.

The city sued Salim Assa in 2015 over violations related to illegal short-term rentals at four midtown Manhattan properties.

On Tuesday, a Manhattan Supreme Court judge signed off on the pact that, apart from its steep price, will forbid any advertising, booking and illegal stays less than 30 days at the four buildings. City inspectors can also show up unannounced and look at rental and occupancy records, under the terms of the deal.

“By exacting steep penalties and requiring landlords to hire law-abiding property managers, we will stop property owners who fail to obey the law,” said Christian Klossner, director of the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement.

The case is “a good example of the work we do to protect permanent housing, New Yorkers and visitors from the dangers of illegal hotels,” Klossner said.

Assa’s lawyer, Frank Carone, told the Daily News he and Assa strongly disputed the city’s allegations, but was happy to reach “an amicable resolution” and was “anxious to put this behind us.”