The tenants of a luxury skyscraper in New York complain about the apartments they gave millions of dollars: floods, igras, noise

432 Park Avenue, the 425-meter 425-meter-high-skyscraper, on New York's “Billionaires”, was presented as an architectural miracle when the first tenants moved there almost a decade ago.

432 Park Avenue Photo: X

The apartment owners filed two separate complaints against the developers of the building. In the first, from 2021, he states that this building is affected by structural problems and accuses developers of not solving them. The other, submitted last month, accuses developers of “massive fraud ”.

Renting a unit at 432 Park Avenue can cost $ 1 million a year. On Zilow, a two -bedroom unit is listed for sale for over $ 10 million, while a four -bedroom unit is listed for sale for $ 35 million, according to Bussines Insider.

According to Streetasy, a New York ad site owned by Zilow, the owners of the 104 apartments in 432 Park have access to 30,000 square meters of facilities, including an exclusive restaurant for residents, room service, a swimming pool, a woody fireplace, a billiard room, a council room and a projection hall.

When it was opened in 2015, 432 Park was the tallest residential building in the western hemisphere, with 96 floors. Another Billionaires' Row building, Central Park Tower, eclipsed it in 2019.

A council representing the owners of individual and commercial units from 432 Park listed Cim Group, Macklowe Properties and the company they formed to build the condominium in the 2021 process.

“What was promised to be one of the best condominiums in the city was delivered in full of over 1 500 construction and design defects identified only to the common elements of the building (leaving aside the numerous defects in the individual units)” the tenants said in the 2021 complaint.

They said that developers “They refused to accept the responsibility for the vast majority of his errors ” and did not approach the defects properly.

The developers of the building defended themselves in a statement filed in court in 2021: “432 Park had such problems – it does not differ from any other building. However, the applicants greatly exaggerated the necessary works (both in the reports of their consultant, SBI Consultants, Inc. (” SBI “) and in their complaint) in order to obtain undue payments from the sponsor.”

In April, the tenants filed a second process against the group, as well as against the WSP, SLCE Architects and McGraw Hudson Construction, which is owned by the founder Macklowe Properties. The owners of the units said that these companies knew “From the beginning of the construction that the design of the white concrete facade of the building was completely defective and will never resist. ”

The developers “They conspired with the other defendants to invent and disseminate false fraudulent statements through the condominium and construction department to hide these alarming defects by the owners of the units, in order to obtain massive profits and to leave the applicants with their hands in the breast”, Stated the owners of the units in the April complaint.

In May 2024, The Wall Street Journal published an analysis of real estate listings and property recordings, as well as interviews with people familiar with the building, which showed that continuous problems and legal actions determined the decrease of sale and prices.

However, Compass Alexandra Hedaya and Jason Haber real estate agents told Business Insider that they have not yet observed any impact on prices.

They own the list for a five -bedroom house, 4,462 square meters, located on the 55th floor, now listed at $ 29.5 million. The first time, the house was released in 2022 for $ 33 million. The developer sold it to the current owner for 23.87 million in 2016, according to New York City properties.

“It is hard to prove a negation. I can't tell you who didn't call me because I'm like: Oh, I don't want to look in the building. So I only know the people who contact me about the building.” Haber said.

Macklowe Properties, WSP and the developer group did not respond to a comment request from Business Insider. The representatives of SLCE Architects and Cim Group denied the charges in the April complaint and told BI that they intend to request its rejection.

A lawyer of the unit owners told BI: “This issue extends beyond negligence into a supposed calculated scheme, led by greed, which eroded confidence. “

Although the dispute is in progress, the processes provide an image of what it means to live in the famous building.

Floods and water infiltration

The tenants said they had faced leaks “Repeated“And floods in the common areas of the building, including two leaks”substantial ”ÎN 2018.

The leaks made the water enter the elevator well, closing the service for two of the four residential lifts “for weeks”, According to the 2021 complaint.

“Thirty -five units, as well as the common areas, suffered damage caused by water”, declared the owners of the units. “An investigation showed that the cause was the defective installation of the sanitary installations, including weak screws buried under insulation. ”

The problems “Persistent“Water infiltration have also affected the basement levels of the tower, said the owners of the units.

Noise and vibration

Other problems that the tenants had with the 432 Park Avenue structure were the noise and the vibrations, which they called one of the “most persistent and disturbing defects” of the building in 2021.

“The apartments are affected by sluggish noises, blows and clicks. Using the garbage slide sounds like a bomb,” said the owners of units in the complaint. “The problems related to noise and vibrations were so serious that some units were forced to move for long periods of time and, in at least one case, for over nineteen months – during a pandemic – while the problem is remedied. “

Lifting defects

The faults with the elevators of the building were also mentioned in the 2021 complaint.

“While the elevator disturbances were particularly widespread in residential towers, all areas of the building, including the area of ​​retail, garage and commercial space, have faced and continue to faults and stops,” the tenants said. “Even the stairs in the commercial space had faults, requiring prolonged stops. ”

In addition to the water leaks, the owner of the unit stated in the complaint that this construction2 led to “Wind conditions that frequently disrupt the operation of the elevators in the building ”.

The outer facade of white concrete

Last month, the second complaint from the tenants focused on the white concrete facade that is the outside of the building.

The owners said that due to the design, the outside is “affected by thousands of serious cracks, Detachments and other forms of deterioration, which led to major water and flood infiltration, to the corrosion of steel reinforcements that strengthen the concrete columns, as well as to other significant damages ”.

They stated that the parties listed in their 2025 complaint knew that the facade would not resist “never”,
and the group ignored the warnings regarding the potential defects.

Other problems

The residents said that there were also visible cracks in gypsum board on the walls and ceilings of the apartments.

But that's not all: the 2021 complaint also quoted “Drawing the plinth and unaltered joints, sliding doors that work defective, openings of the joints and cracks in the walls or floors in ceramic tiles and/or stone, excessive fog and condensation, holes and non -alignment between the luminaires on the wall and ceiling and the repeated trigger of the circuit ”.