Tauber Properties

I am a renter in a Tauber Property at 244 West 21^st Street. I moved into the apartment on July 15, 2015. Before I moved in, I read the reviews and saw most of them were for the UWS buildings and decided to take a chance. I met the prior tenant who loved the building and had nothing negative to say.
I am still living here and Tauber is a great landlord. They ensure the building is well kept and take care of all necessary repairs.
The Super Pedro is great and does his job very well.
I understand if you are reading prior reviews about Tauber, but keep in mind that many of the reviews are left by:
1) Tenants who have never lived in Manhattan.
2) Stabilized tenants.
I have not had to deal with a security deposit or lease renewal but I cannot imagine those being issues.

Truly an awful landlord throughout the entire 12 month experience I lived in one of their properties on W 95^th Street (ironically, the same building pictured on their main website).
We killed 17 mice during the months of February — April in 2015, and we also killed 15 mice during July — August of 2015 (totaling a disgusting amount — even the regular exterminator felt bad for us). Tauber refused to acknowledge the need for repairs, and would not fix a broken kitchen cabinet that allowed the mice to enter the apartment. I even had blood on my window sill from mice walking across it due to their exterminators putting poison throughout my entire apartment and within my walls without my knowledge, putting my dog at a huge health risk. My roommate and I used to wake up in the winter time from hearing mice in the walls and ceiling. We were NOT the only tenant in the building with these issues, and it was common for most people in the building to openly complain of Tauber in the hallways and laundry room. Mike Tauber did very little to help this entire situation until the apartment was put on the market and it was being shown to potential new tenants. I ultimately had to befriend the real estate broker in order to have anything done by the Taubers; it’s hard to sell an apartment when there are mice traps and droppings everywhere — it was disgusting.
Front door to the entire building would also consistently not work — it did not require a key to receive access to the building (you could simply push the door open). Mike Tauber refused to acknowledge that repairs were needed, despite videos/​pictures being sent to him of the exact issue showing what would happen when you pushed on the door. Tauber ultimately said we were the only tenant complaining of this issue and therefore we were liars and were harassing him with false claims (despite everyone knowing about this issue in the building and documented proof).
Ultimately, we experienced 30+ dead mice, no hot water for a 6 day period, constant verbal and written forms of harassment, refusal to acknowledge the need for repairs, black sludge coming from the bathroom sink due to backups in the building, a broken window (which they said they couldn’t fix — it did not fully shut), and so many other minor issues. The secretary at their office is also extremely unprofessional and rude.
We were never late with rent, and definitely did not deserve to be treated with such low respect as Mike Tauber and his secretary did towards us (and other residents in the building). We kept the apartment in great condition, and they even rented it within ~4 weeks (compared to the apartment being empty for weeks when we moved in the year prior). I would suggest talking to existing tenants before signing a lease with any of their buildings.

I lived in a studio rented to me by Alan Tauber between 2012 – 2015, but had to leave NYC in February of this year. Before I moved in, I read the Unilocal reviews and was extremely nervous about moving in to the unit I saw, however the price was well below anything I saw anywhere else on the UWS, especially for the amenities that came with my studio (extra long studio on Central Park? dishwasher? exposed brick? yes please), so I decided to take my chances.
During the 3 years I lived there, my building was quiet, well-​maintained, and I could not have been happier with the area and the apartment. The super came within 24 hours every time I called, which was only for one issue repeatedly (loud radiator knocking, which they unfortunately were never able to fix. Given the rent I paid, I still considered it a steal).
I had to break my lease in February of this year, which Alan was extremely understanding about. From these reviews, I was so nervous about not getting my security deposit back. However Alan NOT ONLY refunded me my security deposit back in full, he also refunded me back part of my February rent, as he was able to get tenants moved in mid-​month.
According to my lease, he could have kept my security deposit since I moved out early, and was under no obligation to let me know tenants had moved in, let alone provide me an additional refund for my Feb rent. I did have to call a few times, but Kara was always polite, and the process was straightforward.
Honestly, I hope to get back to NYC in the next 2 – 3 years, and I will be calling Alan directly to see if apartments are available in one of his buildings — maybe some of the things below really did happen, but I have never had anything but a positive experience in the apartment I rented from Alan Tauber.

This place is a scam. My earlier review was apparently taken down, but I also echo the sentiment of the other former tenants here. STAY AWAY!
Tauber doesn’t give a sh*t about you, your family, or your security deposit, regardless if you pay your rent on time. We also filed a formal complaint with the AG and then had to go to small claims court before we got our deposit back nearly ONE YEAR after we moved out!
DO NOT RENT A TAUBER MANAGED BUILDING!

This review is specifically about my experience renting from Alan Tauber, though I suspect any Tauber building is similarly ‘managed’.
Of course hindsight is 20/​20, and looking back, there were warning signs that weren’t heeded. But personal circumstances led me to rationalize them and it came back to bite me in the a**.
Upon moving in, I discovered neither the security intercom nor the oven worked. It took several months of repeated phone calls to get the oven fixed, although ‘fixed’ meant it took multiple tries and click-​click-​clicking before it would ignite. It was a similar situation for the buzzer/​intercom repair. In this case it took years of requests and complaints. A repairman would show up, look at it, fix one part, say he would come back to finish the job, and it would be months (and multiple emails) before the cycle repeated.
There were LEAKS in the ceiling every time it rained heavily (and I didn’t live on the top floor). There was also the time one of the other apartments started on fire and the fire department had to break down the front door of the building to get in. It took months of repeated complaints to «management» and 311 before the lock on the front door was replaced. And of course, the occasional DEAD RAT on the front stoop.
But all of that pales compared to the COCKROACH problem. They stayed hidden for awhile when I first moved in and by the time I realized there was problem in the building it was too late. They were huge! They were everywhere — in the kitchen cabinets, the closets, the vents in the bathroom, and the basement where there was a washer and dryer (that prompted me to schlep my clothes to a laundromat). They would sashay across the living room floor like they were working a red carpet. They were in the hallway of the building. I was too embarrassed to have guests because I didn’t want a roach to make an appearance while someone was visiting. The last straw was when I opened the silverware drawer and one was on top of the forks! For the last 4 months I lived there I refused to go in the kitchen or open the cabinets/​drawers because I was so traumatized. I moved to a well-​maintained building and months later, I am still scared to open the kitchen cabinets because of living in Alan Tauber’s roach motel!
(By this time I had figured out it would be wise to document *everything* and decided to photograph each roach I saw/​killed. I’ve uploaded just a few pictures for your viewing pleasure and to prove I am not exaggerating.)
The nightmare did not end when I moved out. As was the case with many of the other commenters, Alan Tauber REFUSED TO RETURN MY SECURITY DEPOSIT. I filed a complaint with the Attorney General and enlisted an attorney to help me but he bullied me and threatened to ruin my credit. (How would that work when he owed me money?) For months, Tauber refused to return the money until finally I sued him. He lied under oath and claimed I caused damage to the apartment in attempt to avoid returning the money. Thankfully, the Judge saw through his lies and ruled in my favor. He lied when he finally returned my money, too; claiming he was going to pay it back all along.
This man is Shady with a capital ‘S’. He will ignore your repair requests and if you’re lucky enough for him to actually do something about a complaint it will be done as cheaply as possible. You will have to fight him tooth and nail to get your security deposit back. «Run-​around» Kira S — -, his office manager, is rude and will give you every excuse in the book as to why something can’t be done (i.e. the ‘run-​around’). The only positive thing I can say is that he responded quickly when I complained about MICE in the apartment.
tl; dr: Avoid at all costs! Renter beware! See also:

Do not rent from Tauber properties!!! I can promise you you will regret it. You are better off spending a little more money and going elsewhere.
I have been living with one roommate in 851 West End Avenue for almost one year. The building might as well be made of cardboard. Flooding from upstairs has twice ruined our own belongings in the kitchen and bathrooms, and you can hear footsteps from people in the hallways as if your front door does not exist. The buzzer does not work to let food delivery men in, so I am forced to meet them downstairs at the front door. The «laundry machines» are so ineffective that the clothing often comes out dirtier. And there were MICE found in my apartment twice.
We were forced to spend our own money to resolve the flooding issues, as any affordable insurance policy will not make it worth taking the hit on the deductible. Upon explaining this to them, they are quick to deflect the issues, of course saying that there is nothing they can do unless the problem was caused by structural issues with the building. Well here’s the problem… the building itself is structurally deficient… so don’t rent from them.
The management shows a complete lack of sympathy for any problems in the building you bring up the super is extraordinarily hard to communicate with. Dealing with their office manager is so-​so, but she has not power to make any decisions.

I lived in one of his buildings for 2 years, 2 days would have been too long. First I would like to say that it has been a year since I moved out and have yet to receive my security deposit back even with countless calls, emails and even a complaint with the city.
Some of the other problems were having the lock on my apartment door break causing me to be locked in and paying over $ 300 to be let out and have it fixed when he then refused to reimburse me. During hurricane sandy a tree fell into my yard, blocking 3 emergency exits! It took him 6 months to have it removed and only after i threatened to call the city and report him. The «new» oven/​stove was leaking gas and it took him hours to return my emergency calls. A pipe broke in my kitchen and it took a week to have him send someone to repair it. I could go on and on.
Whatever you do, do not trust this man.

After 2 years of living in a Tauber building I never saw this man’s face or even got him on the phone. Seems shady. They refused to fix the broken (unable to lock) front door of my building. It took two complaints about homeless people staying in the foyer for them to finally fix it. It’s been 6 months since I moved out & they refuse to send me my security deposit. They want me to schedule a time to pick it up. I’ve never had a worse experience than with Tauber. It’s unbelievable.

I gave the company more credit than they deserved the first time around. I’ve had an ongoing maintenance issue for well over a year with Tauber and they simply don’t respond to my emails. The secretary is such a monumental [edited] that I refuse to call and deal with her. Calls to the superintendent of the building always end up evasive — the super blames Tauber for the problems; Tauber blames the super for the problems; nothing ever gets done.
Seriously — the rent is relatively cheap compared to what you can find nearby, but you get what you pay for. Tauber is terrible.

BEWARE!
after i moved out alan tauber ignored ALL my emails, calls, and messages about getting my security deposit back. 86 days after moving out (according to law 30 – 60 days is ‘reasonable’) i got it back ONLY after threatening to sue.
ridiculous people. the secretary kara should be given a medal in bullshitting and giving lip.

This is hands-​down the worst landlord/​management company in the city. They are negligent to the point of breech of contract/​danger to their tenants. In my experience, they’ve mishandled a slew of tenant rights, including but not limited to: broken carbon monoxide detectors, broken boilers/​no hot water for days, rotting windows, pest control issues, broken washer and dryer, and a general disregard for their tenants’ safety/​experience.
DO NOT RENT A TAUBER PROPERTY — go with anyone else.

I lived in one of Tauber Properties on the Upper East Side for two years and overall I didn’t have any problems with the apartment itself, however anytime I had any issue that needed someone to come to the apartment it would take a few phone calls before anything was done. The receptionist is extremely rude and anytime I called she acted as if I was incoveniencing her very much and was not helpful at all. Thankfully none of the issues I had with the apartment were major enough to require immediate attention because they really took their sweet time to address anything.
I moved out of my apartment in mid-​November 2011 and the reason why I’m writing this review is because I have yet to receive my security deposit back even though I was told by e-​mail that I would get it within 45 days of my move out date. When I called the office this morning, the receptionist (been her usual nasty self) told me that I should be receiving it shortly. When I asked her for a date she told me that it takes 45 days from the end of the lease date (contrary to what she, herself, wrote on the e-​mail) to receive my deposit back and since I moved out earlier that’s why I hadn’t received it. When I pointed out that it had been more than 45 days from the end of the lease date anyway (since obviously she can’t count), she proceeds to tell me that they would send me a check as soon as they got the money in their account (whatever that means). When I asked her again for a date she told me that she couldn’t give me a specific date and that is all the information she had for me.
I told her that her answer was unacceptable since they should be able to tell me when I would get my money back, the same way I always paid my rent on time (or earlier). She got upset and told me that she told everyone else the same information and nobody had a problem so there was nothing she could do or anyone else I could speak to. I told her that I wanted to speak to Mr. Tauber since he’s the one that I signed the lease with and who was very keen on telling me about the late fee if didn’t pay my rent on time. She said he’s not available and just transfered me to his voice mail without saying a word.
I left Mr. Tauber a message but do not expect to hear from him any time soon as he never returns any calls from his tenants.
Be aware of renting apartments from this Management company as you will be frustrated trying to get them to address any concerns you have and the level of rudeness you encounter any time you call that office is beyond belief (I guess they forget that it is the tenants’ rents that pay their salaries). You may not even know you’re dealing with a Tauber Property at first because they go by many names (mine was 304 – 306 East 83^rd Realty, LLC) which makes me wonder if they are not running some tax evasion scheme as well.