New York’s habit of offering blanket protections for renters has a serious dark side, as Heidi Russell is learning.

Russell rented out the second bedroom of her Barrow Street co-op to Kate Gladstone — who allegedly turned out to be a roommate from hell.

On Saturday, a judge ruled that Russell can’t evict the woman she calls a “serial grifter,” thanks to Gov. Cuomo’s ban on evictions.

This, despite what Russell has suffered for the last year. In June 2019, Russell rented the room to Gladstone for a short-term stay. But when asked to leave, Russell says, Gladstone “flew off the handle, yelling, ‘No, no, impossible, you’re going to ruin my life . . . I’m not leaving.’ ”

Then came the torture, Russell told The Post: not paying rent, repeatedly spritzing Russell with cleaning chemicals, letting her dog relieve itself in the unit and more. Russell’s afraid to stay in her own apartment.

Gladstone denies all the allegations. But it seems to be a habit: Court records show she’s faced repeated accusations of this behavior. And she’s been arrested twice, facing trial next month for forgery and grand larceny.

Consider it more proof of how progressives’ attempts to protect renters at all costs end up harming innocents.

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