This home on 102-16 Park Lane South in Richmond Hill, has been a source of disturbance for neighbors thanks to trespassers. There’s hope though – the home has been padlocked, and the trespassers kicked out, according to police. Forum Newsgroup Photo by Luis Gronda
It appears that neighbors on a Richmond Hill street—once plagued by a trouble home—can rest easy for now.
What was a problem house for residents on Park Lane South appears to have been remedied, as police have evicted trespassers and locked the doors to the basement of the home on 102-16 Park Lane South, which residents have previously complained had been the source of late night disturbances caused by trespassers.
Officials from the 102nd Precinct confirmed recently that the doors to the bottom floor and second floor of the home have been padlocked—but not by police, as only the bank had the authority to do so in this case—near the end of February, shortly before the precinct’s regular meeting, and an eviction notice had been posted at the door, according to a check-up by officers.
Residents of Park Lane South have complained to police in recent months that since last fall, the home has been attracting squatters to the property, whom neighbors say have been disrupting their block during the nights by shouting, having loud arguments, allegedly smoking marijuana and having cars frequently coming and going from the home.
Longtime Park Lane South resident Dan Seaman previously told The Forum that, after his neighbors asked him to look into the situation, he found little help from a local bank, HSBC, which he believed to be responsible for the property in question—but is actually only a trustee for the home. This prompted him to ask the police for assistance.
It turns out that the property is handled by Ocwen Financial Corp., of West Palm Beach, Fla. Ocwen acts as a loan servicer for mortgage backed securities trusts— or asset-backed securities—that own mortgages. When a mortgage is foreclosed on, title to the property is legally taken back by the trust, and Ocwen then puts the property on the market to be sold for the benefit of the trust.
Paul Koches, executive vice president of Ocwen Financial Corp., told The Forum on Monday that after being notified of the situation, Ocwen had the trespassers removed, and have issued an eviction notice for next month to a family living at the property, whose previous lease agreement has expired.
“After being advised of the disturbances, we investigated and found there were trespassers on the property and had them evicted,” Ocwen said. “I am told there is also a tenant on one of the floors who has a lease agreement with the prior owner. That lease has been terminated and the tenant has received notice to vacate by April 1, otherwise they will also be evicted.”
Seaman, who has lived on Park Lane South for nearly 30 years, said the noise and other complaints have stopped in the last few weeks.
However, Seaman was skeptical that the family currently residing in the home will be evicted by April 1, as promised by police.
In addition, the longtime Richmond Hill resident is concerned about what will happen to the troubled property, as he has seen a ‘For Sale’ sign at the Park Lane South home under a company titled GoHoming.com.
Koches told The Forum that GoHoming is a real estate company associated with a real property management vendor—which he did not name—that Ocwen deals with regarding the home.
Seaman had misgivings about GoHoming’s reputation and how it could impact ultimately addressing the ‘squatter home.’
However, he added, he and his neighbors would keep monitoring the situation.
By Jean-Paul Salamanca
jp.salamanca@theforumnewsgroup.com
