New court documents allege that 30-year-old Konrad Bicher who calls himself ‘Wolf of Airbnb’ has been accused of running an illegal short-term rental scheme in a luxury Midtown Manhattan condo building.
According to the New York Post:
Konrad Bicher, who has been targeted over similar issues in about 20 other cases – was slapped with the new Manhattan lawsuit for allegedly using a 450 W. 42nd St. rental unit to host illegal stays through Airbnb and offering up the posh pad even on an hourly basis for music videos and photo shoots.
Bicher’s “modus operandi is to enter into leases for Manhattan residential apartments or, as here, worm his way into occupancy, and run a type of ‘bust-out’ operation,” according to Monday’s supreme-court lawsuit seeking more than $1.5 million.
“That includes renting the apartment out as a profit center through Airbnb, Peerspace and other similar platforms for short-term rentals, failing to pay rent, using the pandemic and laws related thereto to delay any proceedings, and to vacate on the point of eviction,” the filing alleges.
It is against the law in New York City to rent out an entire apartment for fewer than 30 days in such buildings.
If you are wondering why Konrad Bicher has tagged himself ‘Wolf of Airbnb’, here is everything you need to know.
Asked why he calls himself the “Wolf of Airbnb,” Bicher responded in a text to the outlet, “The Wolf of Airbnb: It means someone who is hungry and ruthless enough to get on top of the financial ladder. They compare the ferocity to that of a wolf, because wolves are territorial, vicious and show no mercy when provoked.”
Bicher’s social-media accounts have included photos of him enjoying private jets and exotic locales, the outlet said.
The latest suit against Bicher was filed by building landlord 42nd and 10th Associates LLC. It says Haley Frey signed a lease for unit 43B starting May 19, 2019, but a few months later, in August, she added Bicher as an occupant on the apartment and that the pair started running illegal short-term rentals out of it.
In fact, Frey hasn’t even been in the 42nd Street building since the July 2019 move-in date, the suit claims.
This is a pretty slick scam I must say.
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