'Real Housewives of New York City' star Erin Lichy is being dragged to court over a debt ... her landlord claims she and her husband owe five figures in unpaid rent, plus interest.
According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Erin and her husband, Abraham Lichy, owe $43,950 in unpaid rent for their Big Apple loft.
The landlord says Erin and Abraham have rented their two-story apartment since July 2019 but claims the couple failed to pay the agreed rent and other charges between October 2021 and July 2023 ... racking up a substantial balance.
Erin and Abraham's landlord claims their lease called for them to pay a monthly rent of $13,500 -- due on the first of each month -- for the period in question, but they often paid late, didn't pay late fees, bounced checks and sometimes didn't pay rent at all.
Now, the landlord is going after the Lichys for $43,950 plus interest ... in addition to $12,900 to cover the landlord's legal fees in the case.
We're told the reason two months of rent was being withheld was due to an agreed upon abatement ... due to persistent rodents, unsanitary issues and a nonfunctioning elevator which lasted for several months.
Erin and Abraham are stunned by the lawsuit, because they tell TMZ ... the landlord wrote a glowing letter of recommendation for them when they moved out.
You can read it yourself, but their rep feels the document "furthers that the Lichys were exemplary tenants and left on excellent standing of their own volition. This lawsuit has no grounds and is just an example of someone trying to get their 5 minutes at someone else's expense."