Manhattan Apartments, Inc.

This company can NOT be trusted. They are all schemers..the typical bait and switch...hitting you with all sorts of unexpected fees...junior agents that know nothing....horrible experience! more

they are scamming crooks Manhattan Apartments, Inc. they lie & cheat with no accountability. know who is stealing your money b4 you deal with jerry weinstein . see this story . http://therealdeal.com/newyork/articles/final-hours-for-rental-firm Final hours for rental firm? Manhattan Apartments struggles in downturn, but a merger may help the teetering brokerage November 02, 2009 07:00AM By Candace Taylor A few months ago, Michele Colen found the apartment she had been searching for: a newly renovated, no-fee Upper East Side studio in a building that welcomed Leo, her golden retriever-dachshund mix. That day, she swiped her debit card twice: once for the security deposit, and once for the first month's rent, plus a $50 credit check fee. Her bank statement showed that the funds had left her account, so she was baffled when, a month after moving in, she received a statement from her landlord showing an outstanding balance. It turned out the $1,500 security deposit check that Manhattan Apartments Inc. -- her real estate firm, also known as MAI -- had written to the landlord on her behalf had bounced. She contacted MAI, demanding to know what happened to her money. By the end of September, the check still had not been replaced, and she sued the company in small claims court. She also filed a complaint with the Department of State. "I thought I took every precaution, and then they screwed me," said Colen, whose case goes to trial this month. Colen is not alone in her frustration with Manhattan Apartments, a troubled firm that The Real Deal has learned is likely on the brink of a merger. In the past year, the firm has repeatedly bounced checks to landlords, renters and agents, while falling behind on payments to vendors. In September, the New York Times sued MAI, claiming it's owed more than $66,500 for online advertising. MAI's accounting firm, Resnick Druckman Group, is suing for $82,640 in unpaid fees. (The Real Deal is also owed money for advertising payments.) more

When looking for an apt. last year, I had an unfortunate experience with Manhattan Apartments, but I'm not one to hold a grudge, so I decided to give them a try again. They must screen for the most arrogant, rudest brokers around when deciding who to hire. I felt like our guy was just trying to steal as much money as possible from me and didn't really care if I lived in a box in Central Park as long as he got paid. The 15% commission is absurd considering how lacking the work they do is. There is no personal attention or consideration of your needs, just here's an apt., give us money, bye. They're also very pressuring and downright rude at times. I didn't actually believe it when the broker said his fee would be almost $9,000, with a totally straight face, and there was no negotiating about it. Save your money! Stick with craigslist, rent-direct.com, cheaprent.org, or another broker if you must, but definitely not Manhattan Apartments. I actually wish there was a "no-star" option for Judy's book right now, because "poor" is too much for these guys. more