The unkempt lawn and a sign on the front door are the only signs that anything may be wrong with the house at 162-38 90 St. But what’s inside the home has neighbors very concerned.
Residents who live in the area have complained that squatters are living in the vacant house and are worried about the possible effect on the community’s quality of life.
Police and neighbors are calling him a squatter, but the man who is living in the house, identifying himself only as Peter, rejects that designation.
“I’m not a squatter,” he said. “I’m cleaning the place up. I suppose whoever owns it will want to rent it one day.”
Peter said he has lived in the home since last year. He described it as “a hot mess” when he got there.
The home was owned by Isaac Khafizov, who was convicted in 2012 of federal mail and wire fraud charges connected to a mortgage scheme. He is currently serving a nine-year sentence in a federal prison.
Neighbors, none of whom wanted to be identified, said the house has been vacant since at least 2012. One resident who lives several doors away says it was vacant earlier than that. The home is in foreclosure and the entity that holds the deed is based in Florida.
11 comments:
That's some crap. I just Read online yesterday that in Florida there was a guy in the military who went away and asked his female friend to watch over his house. She told these people that they can stay in the house until renovation was finished on the house, but now that it's done, these people refuse to move out. The guy who owns the house (the military guy) had told these squatters (who pay no rent) to get out of the house and they told him that his friend told them that they can live there rent free and they had a verbal agreement. The military guy called the captain of the police up to kick these people out and then the captain told him that there was nothing he could do since there was a claimed "verbal agreement " between them and now the military dude has to take these people to court.
Call your concerned elected officials. Start with do-nothing Addabbo .
I like the local classy architecture and elegant tasteful lawn ornaments but especially the house across the street blocked by google earth. Wonder what the story was with THAT place?
What a POS house - we have quite a bit of that cheap, ugly stucco stucco crap in Flooshing as well.
Which tacky nationality thinks this shit looks good?
Good luck getting a eviction judgment in Housing Court.
They should let him stay! He is cleaning the property and the delinquet, criminal owner is can't do anything about it. Wouldn't you rather have a neighbor who is putting in sweat equity, than an empty house with nasty yard that sits there forever? Even if a bank buys it and forcloses, they will neglect.
Wouldn't you rather have this hardworking neighbor than eternal yuppies who eventually raise your property values so high, you can't afford to live in your traditional neighborhood?
Anonymous #3: perhaps a pool is what they want blocked, so as to not make taxes go up.
Not good, but it was invevitable that NYC would get a few (or more) of these. The rest of the country has had to deal with these types of houses since 2007. Can you imagine etire neighborhoods and subdivisions of already decrepit new construction, inhabitated and vandalized by squatters?
It's easy to make judgements when you are on the outside looking in. My parents live right next door (they have for over 40 years)and the squatters leave lights on all night long, argue loudly and do whatever they want without the burden of paying a mortgage or property tax.These are not "neighbors" they are intruders who want something for nothing while the rest of us have to work hard to get it.It's sickening.I agree this house has always been an eyesore and we all feel it should be torn down and the property sold to someone who will actually contribute something to the area.
Hey, like maybe another Waldbaums.Lord knows you can use another one of those!Or an additional outpost of Vinnie Goombah's "The Fair" selling zeppoles,sausage n peppers and peaches w wine from a roach coach.
Some of you are clearly are not Howard Beach residents, nor do we want you. We are very proud of our "Vinnie Goombah" zeppole and sausage eateries.
We however do not want criminals living illegally in our homes. We would rather a vacant house than an illegal, unlawful, non taxing paying schemer in our midst. If you do not like our stucco then you can stay in your Flushing neighborhood. We are neither bothered nor insulted by your comments because we are a proud strong neighborhood and if you do not like it, then you need not apply.
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