A self-proclaimed tycoon who brands himself ‘The Wolf of Airbnb’ is being sued for $1.5million for allegedly renting out Manhattan apartments for short-term stays and making a fortune while he skips out on paying hundreds and thousands of dollars in rent.
Konrad Bicher, 30, is accused of using a luxury apartment in the MiMa building, on 450 West 42nd Street, to host short Airbnb stays, music videos, photo shoots and more.
Properties in the building sell for between $1.5 and $6.5million, and cost between $4,000 and $10,000 to rent per month, according to the latest property searches. Bicher rents out the apartments for up to $97 an hour, according to the lawsuit.
Bicher is also accused in separate lawsuits of owing more than $450,000 in rent – dating back to February 2020 – for apartments he leased in Harlem and Hell’s Kitchen, according to The Real Deal. He has been accused of claiming covid rent hardships and used the New York eviction ban to aviod paying up.
He has denied running the illegal short-term rentals, but refers to himself as the ‘Wolf of Airbnb’ on his Instagram page where he has dozens of photos showing himself on luxury holidays and on private jets.
In a text to The Real Deal, he addressed giving himself the dubious nickname, saying: ‘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 has since appeared to have deactivated his social media accounts.
Konrad Bicher (pictured), 30, is accused of using a luxury apartment in the MiMa building, on 450 West 42nd Street, to host short Airbnb stays, music videos and photo shoots
Properties in the MiMa building (pictured) sell for between $1.5 and $6.5million, and cost between $4,000 and $10,000 to rent per month, according to the latest property searches
Bicher (pictured) has faced several suits in the past, with at least two being thrown out after the landlords involved could not track him down to serve him court papers, reports the Real Deal
The law in New York City states that it is illegal to rent out an entire apartment for less than 30 days without the owner or regular tenant being present. It has also been against the law to advertise illegal short-term rentals since 2016.
But according to a Supreme Court filing, 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.’
The lawsuit, filed on Monday, added: ‘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.’
Bicher has faced several suits in the past, with at least two being thrown out after the landlords involved could not track him down to serve him court papers, reports the Real Deal.
The latest suit, filed by 42nd and 10th Associates LLC, claims a woman named Haley Frey signed a lease for unit 43B starting May 19, 2019, before adding Bicher, in August, as an occupant.
It was then, the documents allege, that the pair started running illegal short-term rentals out of the home, with Frey accused of not visiting the building since the move in date of July 2019, reports the New York Post.
Alarm bells began ringing in November 2019 when doormen began noticing guests frequently arriving with suitcases and camera equipment.
The odd comings and goings continued for another two years, the suit claims.
Documents claim that one guest admitted to the doormen on May 2, 2020, that they were staying in the property via an Airbnb booking.
Less than a fortnight later, a person heading up to the apartment claimed to be Frey — despite looking nothing like her photo on file, the lawsuit claims.
According to a supreme-court filing, 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.’ (Pictured: Bicher leaving a Ferrari in a photo he shared on social media)
Bicher (pictured) is also accused in separate lawsuits of owing more than $450,000 in rent – dating back to February 2020
But the person headed to the elevator and declared: ‘Konrad said it’s OK,’ the suit alleges.
In another alleged incident on September 3, 2020, someone asked for the key to the unit, before being followed up by an entourage of 16 people carrying camera equipment.
When two more people visited that month, the landlord searched online property portals and found the apartment was being listed on Peerspace.
The home was allegedly being made available at a rate of $97 per hour, with a minimum of three hours.
According to the suit, the property had 15 reviews, including from a person who had used it for a film shoot.
‘There was an ever-changing cast of strangers with luggage coming in and out of the apartment for short-term stays,’ the filing alleges.
‘Defendants would leave notices to building personnel that these short-term transients were their ‘guests,’ and would leave cloned copies of key fobs.’
When the building warned Frey that only lease-holders could arrange to leave keys for guests, she allegedly claimed in an email dated August 5, 2021, that Bicher was her husband.
A cease-and-desist letter was sent to Frey, to which she allegedly responded on March 4 of this year: ‘Can we work out a settle [sic] agreement to pay me to leave? Otherwise, I’ll keep the unit for years and litigate.’
The landlords are seeking $1.5 million in damages from Frey and Bicher, plus at least $10,000 in legal fees.
In previous similar cases, Bicher allegedly claimed he couldn’t afford rent when facing eviction proceedings, forcing to be put on hold all while he was allegedly granted pandemic relief funds to the tune of $141,875, the suit claims.
It was unclear if Bicher has a lawyer for the latest case while a working phone number for Bicher could not be found.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk