Persistent Greenpoint tenant sued for her security deposit and won, but she hasn’t gotten it back

December 11, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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GREENPOINT — ONE GREENPOINT TENANT IS furious after a successful lawsuit against her former landlord over a $4,400 security deposit and a court order have still not resulted in the return of her money, according to Gothamist, despite leaving the apartment spotless – and despite landlord Ches Parnes’ assurances that he had already mailed a check. Efforts to recover the funds through a city marshal similarly failed, as have those of several other of Parnes’ tenants. Experts say this is due to a gap in the law: while New York requires the return of security deposits to good tenants, enforcement mechanisms are thin and shaky, and court processes can drag on for years, leaving those impacted without clear recourse.

Many attorneys often refuse security deposit cases because they are time-consuming compared to the reward they reap. According to a Gothamist source within the Brooklyn court system, roughly half of the 7,749 small claims lawsuits in Brooklyn since the beginning of 2023 are over withheld security deposits.

“The tenants aren’t professionals in this space and they don’t have unlimited time and money,” New York University housing law professor Sateesh Nori told Gothamist. “There’s no accounting for people who give up and walk away.”

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