NEW YORK — A condo owner in New York's Lower East Side has been busted for creating a new floor in his modest home and converting it into claustrophobic, makeshift micro-apartments. <br /><br />The New York Post reported that apartment owner, Xue Ping Ni split his 634-square-foot home horizontally to make eleven illegal windowless subunits that had ceilings as low as 4 ½ feet high.<br /><br />Not one to take risks, Ni considerately put up bubble wrap to protect his tenants from knocking themselves out cold from the low-hanging pipes. <br /><br />One renter told The Post that Ni was charging him $600 per month and that there was a "good amount" of people cramped up there. <br /><br />A female occupant revealed that she was paying $2,800 per month and that is was a "revolving door of people".<br /><br />After a call was made to authorities, the mini-village was raided and shut down on Wednesday and tenants were forced to evacuate. They were offered immediate relocation assistance by the American Red Cross. <br /><br />Inspectors slammed Ni with a fine totaling more than $144,000 for failing to have a sprinkler system, proper electrical, structural and plumbing permits.
