Nonpaying holdover tenant

[Andre Taylor-Domville]

Hello all,

Inherited a tenant in a new property in Brooklyn, NY which has proven to be a nightmare lol. They have lived in the property for years way under market rent without ever having a lease. After they refused to sign a lease, I had my lawyer serve a 90 day notice to vacate which then lead to further problems including them refusing to pay rent. According to my lawyer nothing can be done until the 90 days pass and then I could try to go after them for the unpaid rent. However, I was thinking that due to nonpayment the process could be sped up. I know that things have changed with covid so I was looking for some advice to how courts in the city are handling these issues. They haven't claimed any hadrdship due to covid although I know that wouldn't be difficult for them to claim. Any advice would really be appreciated, I also did try to cash for keys with no luck. Thanks in advance!