RPT-NY court should issue Stuyvesant Town ruling in Oct

NEW YORK, Sept 10 (Reuters) - New York state's top court is expected to issue its ruling in mid- to late October on whether the owners of a $5.4 billion Manhattan apartment complex were entitled to switch rent-regulated apartments to free-market rates, the court's clerk said on Thursday.

The financing for the deal depends on the owners' ability to collect the higher free-market rents.

Private equity firm Tishman Speyer and the real estate arm of money manager BlackRock Inc (BLK.N) bought the apartment complex from MetLife (MET.N) in 2006, near the peak of the real estate market. (Reporting by Joan Gralla; Additional reporting by Ilaina Jonas; Editing by Dan Grebler)