Landlord Claims Tenant Is Conducting Pet-Sitting Business in Apartment

Landlord sued to evict tenant for conducting a pet-sitting business in her apartment in violation of her lease. Landlord claimed that tenant brought dogs and cats other than her own through the building lobby and kept them in her apartment. The court ruled against landlord. Landlord had no proof that tenant brought outside pets into her apartment or even the building. Tenant walked other people's dogs from and back to the owners' apartments and fed their cats in their apartments. The only ''business conduct'' in her apartment was phone calls to and from customers and the storage of 25 sets of keys. For the customers in her own building, tenant used the service entrance to walk the dogs, in accordance with landlord's rules.

Park Holding Co. v. Grossman: NYLJ, p. 27 col. 1 (3/20/96) (Civ. Ct. NY; Wendt, J)