You wouldn’t think one would be able to live in a house for 23 years without paying any of the mortgages but somehow Guramrit Hanspal was able to pull it off. The 52-year-old first bought a 3 bed 2 and a half bath home on Long Island back in 98 for 290 grand and he made one mortgage payment. But the bank foreclosed on his house just 2 years later and this would mean he needed to leave. But he opted to stay and fought back against the courts by filing for bankruptcy multiple times and filing lawsuits in a lot of different courts over the years. He was able to evade eviction for more than 23 years but his free ride came to an end on Sept 14 when a Nassau County judge ruled he had to go. Diamond ridge partners own the house and this is why they said they were happy with the decision. They had been trying to get him out long before the moratoriums took effect a year and a half ago as covid began to spread all over the world.
The judge noted that he tried to stay in the house by filing a covid hardship declaration back in the spring. The CHD has served to help people who have been having trouble making ends meet to stay in their houses. His lawyer actually died in a car crash back in July but he said DRP should not be able to have their day in court before many of the small landlords who are trying to have their day in a court of law. But of course, by the same token, DRP has been waiting for more than 2 decades. While there is a law that says the CHD alone should be enough to keep a tenant in their home, the judge agreed that this should not apply to Hanspal. He continued by saying that this would apply to tenants but not to those who have refused to pay their mortgage for as long as he has. As he noted, his behavior means that he should not be allowed to stay in his house unless he agrees to pay the mortgage on time every single month.
In a recent statement, a lawyer for DRP, Jonathan Katz, said he was pleased with the court’s ruling and that they plan on enforcing it just as soon as they can. One of the lawyers of Hanspal did not respond when asked for comment. One of his neighbors, Bhagwant Srichawla, also tried to use the CHD to stay in his house but it is not clear if he will be forced to leave as well. When asked for a comment, his lawyer declined to say anything as did the other residents of the neighborhood in which they live. It is not clear why he chose not to pay his mortgage but hopefully, he will know better for next time. The ruling says that he does not qualify for any of the pandemic housing protections due to the fact that he has been living in that residence illegally for the past 2 decades. Where he goes from here is not clear at the moment but hopefully, he has learned his lesson about always paying your bills on time.
