A hotel “room” at $25 per night sounds like a great deal, but not if you’re sharing space with about 30 people. And that’s exactly what the Buildings Department and New York City law officials determined after a follow-up to a complaint about a rogue hostelry at 446 Kosciuszko Street in Brooklyn.

Our Time Press received the call as the closure was happening on Friday morning from concerned residents in the area.  They reported on “tourists from Europe” folding out of the three-story brick residence, a legal two-family converted to a “bed-and-breakfast”. The situation at 446 was not your typical B&B, however.  “How anyone could bed there, no less eat breakfast or anything at all there, is beyond me,” said homeowner B. Paul, who lives nearby.

According to the Preemptory Vacate order signed on August 28 and affixed to the door, the illegal conversion of the two-family dwelling to an 8-unit hostel with multiple residents threatened the safety of the public and the lives of the occupants. Cited in the violations were no means of egress and no sprinkler system or fire alarms. The tenants were given time to clear out their belongings as the vacate order was explained to them by local law enforcement.

“Frankly,  HPD did the right thing,” said Paul. “We don’t need this kind of thing happening in the community.  It used to be that hostels were for overnighters, and they were considered safe places. A lot of people are coming in from abroad or outside of the city just to see and experience Brooklyn and New York.

The folks across the street were looking for an inexpensive place to stay while they visited the city.  Because of this landlord, they had no place to go.” (Bernice Elizabeth Green)