Boca Raton Homeowner Accused Of Running Motel
Owners Appealing Ruling Made By City Of Boca Raton’s Special Magistrate
BOCA RATON, FL – Boca Post (BocaPost.com) — The owners of a 3,232 square foot, 7 bedroom, 4 bathroom house in East Boca have been accused of running a motel out of the house and have since been shut down by the City.
Neighbors say people stay there for days to weeks at a time. They say they have seen more than 42 different cars parked at the residence in an otherwise quiet neighborhood in only months. They have even testified against the owners, saying that the property has been a nuisance. The city agreed.
On April 22nd, 2022, The City of Boca Raton rendered an Order of Enforcement against the owners of the property located at 960 NW 4th Ct. in Boca Raton. The order claims that the property is in violation of 3 codes; Section 28-339(a) “Permitted and Accessory Lines”, Section 19-62 “Permits Required”, and Section 10-55 “Nuisance”.
To the first violation, “Permitted and Accessory Lines”, authorities say that the “Property was being offered for rent on a short-term transient basis”. Neighbors testified that they “have observed the tenants at the Subject Property turning over every few days or weeks. They also testified regarding impacts of the transient use on the peace and quiet of the neighborhood, including excessive noise.”
Apparently, the property has been used as a party destination. According to the original order, “The testimony presented established that the property has been used by transient groups such as a sports team, a cheerleading team, and bachelorette party.”
The property Owner also admitted the Subject Property was being offered for rent on a short-term transient basis. Specifically, the Property Owner testified that the minimum stay was three (3) days.
It was ordered that the property owner “Cease any and all unpermitted uses of the Subject Property, including, but not limited to, transient residential uses. The Subject Property shall be used as a single-family residence in accordance with its R-1-D zoning classification and all applicable City of Boca Raton zoning requirements.”
The Section 10-55 “Nuisance” violation was also supported by the property’s neighbors. Neighbors claim excessive noise originating from the property disturbs the peace of the neighborhood. A compliance officer testified regarding an incident that he responded to which supports the neighbor’s claims.
The city agreed and ordered that the owner “Cease any and all excessive or unusually loud noise that disturbs or destroys the peace of the neighborhood in which the Subject Property is situated.”
There was also a code violation regarding an additional A/C unit installed in the garage without permits.
The owners of the property, Chaim Lipskar, Yaacov Biston, Masha Laine, and Shalom Laine, have filed an appeal with the Palm Beach County Court to reverse the decisions made by the City. At around the same time as this new filing, the owners appear to have listed the property for sale.
According to Zillow, the property has been listed for sale since 12/2021. With a steady trend of price increases, the price has just been increased to $1,725,000, a $50,000 increase from the last week.
The property is also listed for rent on various other real estate websites. The descriptions show that the owners require at least a 6-month lease on the rental. Boca Post has been unable to locate any listings supporting the claims that the property is rented out as a short-term rental. The ads may have since been removed if they existed.
