Housing Court Bar Association discusses advanced topics in landlord tenant law

September 30, 2015 By Rob Abruzzese Brooklyn Daily Eagle

From left: Peter Kempner, Robin Bernstein, Michael Rosenthal, Hon. Bruce Scheckowitz, Vicki Gail Price and Peter Sanders. Eagle photo by Rob Abruzzese

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The Brooklyn Bar Association once again hosted members of the Kings County Housing Court Bar Association (KCHCBA) for another Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminar on Monday, but it went more in depth this time around during a session titled “Advanced Topics in Landlord Tenant Law.”

“The issues are a little more involved this time around,” said KCHCBA President Michael Rosenthal. “We can’t deal with them in five minutes. Even giving myself 15 minutes and Peter Kempner 20, we both went over.

“These are issues that are a lot more detail oriented, and while you can hit upon them during the ABCs there certainly wasn’t enough time to cover them there,” Rosenthal continued.

In addition to Rosenthal, guest speakers included Hon. Bruce Scheckowitz; Vicki Gail Price; Peter Kempner, deputy director of South Brooklyn Legal Services; Peter Sanders of Sanders Litigation Associates, P.C.; and Robin Bernstein, deputy counsel for the Rent Stabilization Association.

During the two hour CLE seminar, the group discussed Section 8 programs, what to do when the tenant has passed away, tenant defenses to holdover proceedings, the Rent Act of 2015 and litigation with New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).

“As a judge it is extremely frustrating to try to get the housing authority to do repairs, but they will grant abatements to try to prolong a case when trying to deal with systemic conditions,” Scheckowitz said. “There are problems with mold. Mold is a very complex area of law. If the tenant gets an inspection from the Department of Health, NYCHA will follow the protocol. NYCHA is probably concerned about the personal injury side of those cases.”

The session was the final CLE seminar involving the KCHCBA at the Brooklyn Bar Association this month. It will host a final bankruptcy CLE seminar on Wednesday, part three, before it moves on to other topics next month. The KCHCBA holds its meetings on the first Thursday of each month at Rocco’s Tacos at 1 p.m.