The Real Housewives of New York City won’t be back on our screens for a while, but that doesn’t mean the cast isn’t embroiled in off-camera drama.
It seems this is the case with Erin Lichy and her husband, Abraham Lichy, as their former landlord is taking them to court for over $43K in back rent. Now, the two are speaking out and calling the claims false as they moved out of the two-story New York apartment on good terms.
Erin and Abraham have been married since 2012, and they began renting the apartment in July 2019. However, the pair allegedly didn’t pay their $13,500 rent and some other charges from October 2021 until July 2023.
According to Daily Mail, Erin and Abraham owe about $43,950 in unpaid rent to the landlord. However, a rep for the couple says that they are “stunned” and that the landlord wrote them a “glowing recommendation letter” upon moving out. Daily Mail is reporting that the rep was able to supply the recommendation letter in question.
Despite the evidence, the claim alleges that they were supposed to pay their rent on the first of every month. However, they were often late, failed to pay late fees, bounced checks on occasion, or didn’t make any payments at all. The claim is also seeking an additional $12,900 to cover legal fees.
According to Erin and Abraham’s response, they feel that the landlord is only looking for their ‘5 [sic] minutes at someone else’s expense.”
Erin, 36, also took to her Instagram Stories on January 4 to issue a lengthy response to the lawsuit.
“We spent months in an unfit apartment with broken promises,” wrote Erin. “We poured a lot of hard work and a significant amount of our personal money into what was supposed to be our long term home. The additional changes were to be made by the landlord and when conditions worsened, we hired a well-known tenant attorney that advised us to withhold rent until such issues were remedied and an appropriate abatement as agreed upon, which would also incur late fees. This is a common practice with legal rights as tenants in NYC.”
She added, “We continued to follow up for months to resolve the issue. There was zero response and we have receipts to prove that we tried to rectify before moving. It’s been 6-months with no communication until this week, when they filed a lawsuit.”
“As someone who works in real estate and has been a landlord, I am appalled at his behavior, yet, not surprised,” stated Erin. “This should not happen to anyone and I’m proud of me and my husband for taking a stand.”
Erin, who started a renovation and interior design company in 2019, has three kids with Abraham. They are Levi, 8, Layla, 5, and Elijah, 3.
Though there hasn’t been an official word, sources claim that production on RHONY season 15 started at the end of 2023. If this is the case, it would mean that the season might begin airing in the summer of this year. There is also no word on which cast members will return. Of course, there are unconfirmed reports that Jenna won’t be back. If filming has started, Erin’s landlord drama may play out on the show.
