Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
UWS Man Overcharged By Landlord Scores $2.5 Million Apartment For $784/Month (Plus $900K Refund)
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jan 8, 2016
Modified Jan 8, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jan 8, 2016
Modified Jan 8, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
An appellate court ruled unanimously this week that an Upper West Side man has been illegally overcharged by his landlord for the last 16 years—and he has been rewarded $900K in restitution, and had his rent stabilized at his $2.5 million apartment for under $800/month.
The News reports that Lane Altschuler's landlord illegally deregulated his rent-stabilized apartment soon after he moved into the three-bed, two-bath at 478 Central Park West in 2000. Altschuler, a 63-year-old construction supervisor, was paying $3,750 a month for the apartment by 2009, about five times more than he should have been paying.
His lawyer, Christian Siebott, argued that landlord Mann Realty had deregulated the apartment to allow the rent hikes, then hid the change from state regulators. A court ruled in 2013 that Altschuler's apartment should have stayed under market rate because Realty had received over $310K in J-51 tax benefits.
Because this was a "willful" violation of state law, Altschuler was able to successfully sue to collect back rent and treble damages (which are awarded to punish landlords who don’t file annual rent-stabilization rates with the city).
"[Realty] believed at all times it was acting in accordance with the rent laws,” said their attorney Madga Cruz. "The extreme penalties that the appellate court has now upheld, without any trial, are unprecedented."
Altogether, Altschuler was awarded $876,619.10 (plus interest); his rent has been set at $784 a month (the Post points out that an apartment two floors below the same unit recently sold for $2.5 million). The rent will stay at that amount until Altschuler vacates the apartment, even though the J-51 abatement on the building is ending.
While this was a very specific case involving the J-51 tax benefits (find out if it applies to your building today!), ProPublica reports this week that as many as 200,000 city apartments may not be rent stabilized when they should be, putting tenants at risk of overcharges or illegal evictions.
Tagged
apartment
landlord
overcharged
rent
Upper West Side
uws
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
How NYC voters could determine outcome of race for governor
The Democratic governor got a startling lesson four years ago in the importance of turnout in New York City.
By
Jon Campbell
Published Oct 29, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. ET
Early Addition: Is the Cheesecake Factory vs. the Amtrak buttercake our new culture war?
Because they're raving about the little cake you can only get in first class on select trains, here are your early links: Hunting for Bigfoot is big in New Jersey, the East Village got a kitschy wedding chapel, "Slime Square-42 St," and more.
By
James Ramsay
News
Early Addition: Is the Cheesecake Factory vs. the Amtrak buttercake our new culture war?
Because they're raving about the little cake you can only get in first class on select trains, here are your early links: Hunting for Bigfoot is big in New Jersey, the East Village got a kitschy wedding chapel, "Slime Square-42 St," and more.
By
James Ramsay
Brooklyn woman hit and killed by garbage truck at Bay Parkway, NYPD says
By
Ryan Kost
NY's housing crisis is on the ballot. Here's what the candidates say they'll do about it.
By
David Brand
Brooklyn's Ocean Parkway is a haven for reckless driving. Mamdani isn't allowed to fix it.
By
Stephen Nessen
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .