Use 11-Point Checklist to Evaluate Roommate’s Succession Claim

Suppose a tenant’s roommate asks you for a renewal lease in her own name on a rent-stabilized apartment or for the right to continue living in a rent-controlled apartment after the tenant dies or moves out. The roommate claims that she’s entitled to pass-on rights to the apartment, based on her family-type relationship with the tenant. The roommate is either unrelated to the tenant or not one of the relatives automatically considered a “family member” for purposes of getting pass-on rights.