Joseph Tahl and 1890 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd.Tahl Propp Equities is scheduled to face off tomorrow against the Department of Housing Preservation and Development in city housing court amid allegations that tenants were denied heat and hot water at one of the landlord’s newest condominium conversions in Harlem. Tahl Propp, which owns more than 3,000 apartments across the city and is one of the biggest landlords in Harlem, has faced dozens of complaints from tenants at 1890 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. in recent months. They claim they are being harassed through repeated loss of heat and hot water, among other problems. [more]

Tahl-Propp Equities, one of the biggest residential developers in Harlem, is facing a lawsuit filed late last month alleging building-wide construction defects at the Normandie, a project that was converted from rental to condominium in 2005.

According to the $3 million suit filed in New York state Supreme Court by the building’s Board of Managers, which oversees the condo operations on behalf of the owners, about half of the building’s apartments have mold in them, and other parts of the building have significant cracks, corrosion and other problems.

Other allegations are that the building has exposed heating and water pipes, cracking hardwood floors, exposed structural beams in the common areas and corroded outdoor refrigerant piping.

“Despite actual knowledge of the construction defects, sponsor failed to effect the necessary repairs, compelling plaintiff to retain the service of professional engineers to evaluate the construction defects,” attorneys for the board wrote. [more]

Vornado Realty Trust is said to be in talks to buy the landmarked, five-story building at 510 Fifth Avenue, at the corner of 43rd Street, according to the Post. The 61,159-foot property, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and completed in 1954 for Manufacturers Hanover Trust, now belongs to Tahl-Propp Equities, which purchased it for $22 million in 2000 from Chase. There is a current mortgage of $33 million on the property. Chase still has a small branch in the mezzanine and owns the 145,000 feet of excess air rights there. [Post]

From the September Issue: In the West 20s, the name “F.M. Ring Associates” is emblazoned on the
sides of numerous buildings. The fading mural-like advertisements look
like relics from a bygone era. Brokers say much of Ring’s valuable
portfolio, most of which is in the prime neighborhoods of Gramercy,
Chelsea and Flatiron, sits strangely empty. This month, The Real Deal looks at the mystery of the Ring family and profiles a host of big under-the-radar players in New York. more