Tenants in a Harlem apartment building are saying they feel like they’re living in “jail cells” with no light, stifling heat and leaky roofs thanks to construction that never seems to end.
L + M Fund Management, owners of the building at 1660 Madison Ave., are allegedly leaving tenants in the dark — literally and figuratively. The property, according to tenants, has been undergoing waves of construction since at least 2023 that block natural sunlight and create limited space and poor air quality due to bulky temporary walls, all while residents get little-to-no answers on when the work will be complete.
Throughout the June and July heat, several tenants had temporary air-conditioners installed that they claimed were not working correctly, resulting in warm air being forced inside.
Temporary walls that were supposed to only be up for a few weeks, still stand in many of the building’s apartments, taking up 3 to 5 feet of interior space and blocking windows. The walls used in the project pose a safety concern, according to tenants, who say they have blocked off the windows – leaving no access for evacuation or rescue in the event of a fire.
Tenants met with the building’s management company, C + C Management, on July 22 to discuss construction updates and the remaining construction schedule.
amNew York Metro reached out to C+C Management to find out more about the construction — including why it is needed and when it will end. A spokesperson said the company understands the tenants’ frustration and apologized.
“We apologize to our residents for the delay in construction and understand the frustration this has caused,” the spokesperson said. “We are working with our contractors to finish construction as quickly as possible, with an expected timeline of seven to eight weeks. In the meantime, we have been communicating closely with the affected residents and have offered compensation. We will continue to keep residents updated on our progress.”
The spokesperson added that the company is working with the tenants to address any issues with temporary air-conditioning units. As for the safety concerns about the temporary wall, she added that the walls were approved by NYC’s Department of Buildings as part of the protection plan and “present no life safety issues.”
Meanwhile, tenants are still saying communication about the project has been very poor.
The construction work, C+C said, is part of a project funded through an Empire State Building Challenge Grant to pilot carbon reduction technologies in building systems. The scope of work includes replacing the old brick façade with a high-efficiency window wall system, installing PTHPs for heating and cooling, and replacing the roof, along with several other items of work.
The work is taking place in increments around sections of the 11-story building, which includes market rate and low-income housing.
Before the improvement work started, Marieke Bauer, who lives in the building, said they and other tenants were asked to sign a construction agreement that they deemed unfair.
“The construction rider that we signed was basically like, if you didn’t sign it, you couldn’t re-sign your lease,” Bauer said. “It basically said, ‘We can do what we want,’ and we can’t do anything about it.”
Hit with rent increase, too
Adding insult to injury, tenants in parts of the building that were renovated were faced with a rent hike afterward, Bauer said.
“For just a little bit extra light, the building is trying to say it’s such a drastic improvement that it’s worth the rent increase,” they said.
Bauer, who has lived in the building since 2021, said tenants should have been compensated for the dangerous inconvenience, not asked to pay more rent.
“They didn’t give us any sort of compensation or offer to move us to other accommodations,” they said, adding that the owners offered tenants $100 per bedroom for July and August for the “hardships” they faced.
But the management company told amNew York Metro they offered $200 per room.
Currently, Bauer’s part of the building had a stop-work order in effect, halting construction for the time being. According to C+C, the stop-work order was lifted on July 22. Meanwhile, Bauer still has temporary walls in their apartment.
Samia Grefftalami lives in a four-bedroom apartment with her family on the building’s top floor. Not only was her temporary air-conditioner unit malfunctioning during last month’s heatwave, but her roof also leaks when it rains, causing her bedroom to flood — though, the management company said it does not have a work order on file to fix the issue.
Grefftalami, who is recovering from having brain surgery last year, said her temporary air-conditioning unit was improperly installed. The exhaust inside the partition wall was blowing hot air and debris into her apartment.
“The hot air was coming from inside the partition wall, and dust from insulation was blowing in the apartment,” she explained.
She added that she complained many times before the building’s management company finally rebuilt the exhaust system.
Meanwhile, with blocked windows and an AC functioning slightly better than before, she, like the other tenants, have not heard dates on when construction will resume.
