Landlords in Park Slope frustrated with 19-month squatter

February 10, 2025 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Image: Yuliia/Adobe Stock

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PARK SLOPE — A COUPLE’S ordeal continues even after their long-term squatter has vacated their property, reports News 12. Madelana Wooding and her husband, owners of an apartment at 660 4th Ave., successfully evicted a non-paying tenant, but are now faced with the prospect of a new struggle in civil court to recover 19 months of unpaid rent.

The Woodings say that their former tenant, who ceased rent payments following a $150 increase, finally moved out in late December. This development comes after months of legal battles in housing court, complicated by Mr. Wooding’s ongoing fight against pancreatic cancer. The couple, along with advocates for small landlords, say they want reforms to the legal system to protect landlords from squatters, who intentionally stay in properties without paying, and other bad-faith tenants, whose eviction proceedings can drag on for months or years as bills pile up.

“He’s been on chemo for four months now which is the reason he is not here, so he is not doing very well,” Madelana Wooding explained. “I want him to focus on that but this of course is stressing him out.”

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