The Inheritance and Housing Law

This isn't a huge deal but would like to know if anyone can resolve a plot issue I have with The Inheritance. This isn't meant as dramatic criticism.

Eric faces eviction, he tells Walter, because his grandmother hasn't lived in their rent controlled apartment for six months. When Walter asks where she is, Eric tells him she's in the urn on the mantel.

But Eric would have legally succeeded to his grandmother's rent controlled tenancy as long as he had lived in the apartment with her for at least two years before her death. Eric grew up in the apartment and appears to have always lived there except when he was at Yale (succession rights are not affected by a family member's having lived outside the home while in school elsewhere).

Curious if anyone else identified this plot problem and if anyone has been able to resolve it.
Lopez may have simply taken license here; so that it is what it is. But still curious.

btw in Howards End the Schlegels lose their Wickham Place home because it's being demolished to make way for housing blocks.

ADDENDUM: 11/12 - FIGURED IT OUT; SEE BELOW

Updated On: 12/12/19 at 12:37 PM

Oh that’s very interesting. I was always under the impression that if the original leaseholder died, the rent controlled apartment could not be passed on to anyone. There have been very high profile stories for years about people having to move when someone dies, so this plot point didn’t strike me as odd. But now I’m very interested to know what the real law is.

Updated On: 12/10/19 at 12:42 PM

Jordan Catalano said: "Oh that’s very interesting. I was always under the impression that if the original leaseholder died, the rent controlled apartment could not be passed on to anyone. There have been very high profile stories for years about people having to move when someone dies, so this plot point didn’t strike me as odd. But now I’m very interested to know what the real law is."

The NYC Rent Guidelines Board website has some information about Succession Rights: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/rentguidelinesboard/resources/succession-rights.page

Seems like "rent control" has been long used to justify characters living in unrealistic settings... see: the girls' apartment on "Friends". haha