{"id":960294,"date":"2026-07-26T11:51:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T11:51:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/960294\/"},"modified":"2026-07-26T11:51:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T11:51:23","slug":"manhattan-penthouse-turns-into-nightmare-of-mold-for-juilliard-grad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/960294\/","title":{"rendered":"Manhattan Penthouse Turns into Nightmare of Mold for Juilliard Grad"},"content":{"rendered":"

In May 2025, Lydia Rhea<\/a><\/strong>, a 26-year-old freelance musician and Juilliard graduate, thought she and her two roommates had found their dream apartment<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u200bAfter years of living in cramped student quarters, the group found a newly constructed<\/a> duplex penthouse at 463 West 125th Street in Harlem<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u200bFor three working musicians who needed space to rehearse, the unit seemed ideal. It boasted a spacious multi-level layout, large windows, two bathrooms, and in-unit laundry. Rhea even scored a second-floor bedroom featuring an ensuite bathroom and a private terrace.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u200bThey signed a 13-month lease offering a one-month free concession, paying a net rent of $5,485 per month. As the very first tenants to occupy the newly built unit, Rhea expected a pristine, modern, hassle-free living experience.<\/p>\n

\u200bHowever, what was marketed as a modern luxury space quickly escalated into a year-long ordeal marked by apparent construction defects, toxic mold infestation, delayed mail delivery, and unresponsive building management, Rhea tells Realtor.com\u00ae.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u201cI feel a little bit stupid looking back on it,\u201d Rhea says. \u201cIt looked clean, and it had really good access to trains\u2026it looked to be like it was going to be a really good space.\u201d<\/p>\n

Public records show the building is owned by an LLC affiliated with ReGlobe founder Tomer Chen,<\/strong> a real estate developer who signed mortgage documents on behalf of the entity. The building was managed by Malek Management<\/strong>, according to emails from the company shared by Rhea.<\/p>\n

A person who answered the phone at Malek Management claimed that the company no longer handles the building. Chen did not respond to multiple phone messages.<\/p>\n

Mold is a persistent issue for some New York<\/a> renters. In Fiscal Year 2025, the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development<\/a> (HPD) received 38,278 mold complaints, according to HPD’s indoor allergen report<\/a>. That’s a drop of about 8.5% from the prior year’s total of 41,835 mold complaints.<\/p>\n

In 2024, Harlem was the moldiest New York<\/a> City neighborhood, with 397 complaints, according to a report done by RentHop<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The red flags begin<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rhea says the red flags started almost immediately upon moving in, and the problems quickly worsened. At first, the issues seemed minor: a bad paint job, leaky faucets, broken doorknobs, and a brand-new, in-unit dishwasher that failed to run from day one.<\/p>\n

Fixing the dishwasher alone took four grueling months of bouncing the job back and forth between an electrician and a plumber.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u201cIt kept going back and forth of the electrician saying it needed to be the plumber, the plumber saying it needed to be the electrician,\u201d Rhea explained. \u201cAnd then all coming back to the super who\u2019s like, ‘I don\u2019t do this kind of work, and I don\u2019t want to get electrocuted.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\u200bIn August, Malek Management eventually replaced the broken dishwasher with a working one from an unoccupied apartment. But that ordeal was nothing compared to the missing mail debacle.<\/p>\n

In Fiscal Year 2025, The Housing Preservation and Development received 38,278 mold complaints.TikTok \/ Lydia Rhea\u200bFixing the dishwasher alone took four grueling months of bouncing the job back and forth between an electrician and a plumberLydia Rhea<\/p>\n

Ready for something new?<\/p>\n

Search new construction<\/a>\u200bWho\u2019s got mail<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

\u200bAfter a few weeks in their new home, Rhea and her roommates realized that they hadn’t received a single piece of mail. As freelance musicians, the roommates were waiting on close to $10,000 in paper checks from gigs.<\/p>\n

\u200bRhea began knocking on her neighbor\u2019s doors, only to discover that no one else was getting mail either.<\/p>\n

\u200bConcerned, Rhea marched down to the local post office, where a clerk confirmed that they were holding the building\u2019s mail. However, staff refused to release it over the counter, insisting a mail carrier was legally required to deliver it on-site.<\/p>\n

\u200bAfter returning to the post office almost daily, the roommates finally found a carrier, who revealed that mail delivery had been completely halted because management installed the building\u2019s mailboxes too high, violating federal postal regulations<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u201cThe whole building wasn’t getting mail, but our management had not told us, \u2018Hey, if you want to get your mail, you need to go to the post office between 9 and 10 a.m. Ask for this specific person. We’re working on fixing it,\u201d Rhea said.<\/p>\n

\u200bThe situation descended further into absurdity when Rhea went back to collect her household’s mail\u2014and the postal worker accidentally handed her the entire building\u2019s mail.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u201cSo we\u2019ve gone from them being like, no, we can’t have the wrong postal worker hand you your mail for your unit, to being like, sure, let me just hand a random civilian everybody’s mail,\u201d Rhea said.<\/p>\n

\u200bEven after management lowered the mailboxes to comply with federal code, they failed to install proper master locks, leaving every tenant\u2019s mail accessible to anyone with a mail key.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u201cWe had it on security footage, and our management did nothing. The post office did nothing. I think it’s still like that to this day, to my knowledge,\u201d Rhea said.<\/p>\n

\u200bRhea soon discovered that she wasn\u2019t the only person having a hard time in her once ideal apartment.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u201cWhen we moved in, we were optimistic because we were sold this vision of it’s a brand new build,\u201d a tenant who lived in the building said. \u201cAt the beginning, though, some of the signs started pointing towards this is not the best.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u200bAfter suffering from mailbox, security, and other amenity issues, it became clear that Rhea wasn\u2019t the odd one out; this was a building-wide problem.<\/p>\n

While pulling a laundry basket out of her closet, Rhea found her wall was completely covered in mold.Lydia RheaThe mold was so pervasive that she had to wash her packed clothing four times just to remove the stench.A persistent leak<\/strong><\/p>\n

In February 2026, following a series of severe blizzards, a persistent leak developed in the ceiling vent in Rhea\u2019s bathroom. Initially, it leaked only during heavy storms. But soon afterwards, it started to drip every time she turned on the vent.<\/p>\n

Management offered only temporary fixes, forcing Rhea to keep a towel permanently laid out on her bathroom floor.<\/p>\n

\u200bBut on April 8, the situation escalated from simply annoying to toxic. While pulling a laundry basket out of her closet, Rhea found her wall was completely covered in mold.<\/p>\n

\u200bShe reported the hazard immediately, but with a pre-planned two-week trip to London scheduled, she had no choice but to depart. The mold was so pervasive that she had to wash her packed clothing four times just to remove the stench.<\/p>\n

\u200bFrom London, Rhea called management daily. Yet, management refused to address the mold until the ceiling leak was fixed\u2014a repair that finally took place on April 27. But by then, mold had spread into other rooms, forcing Rhea\u2019s roommates to throw out ruined furniture.<\/p>\n

\u200bOther tenants experienced similar structural decay. One tenant reported leaks in their unit\u2013despite not being located on the top floor. Eventually, the issue escalated into a safety hazard.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u201cWe ended up discovering some mold, which ended up spreading,\u201d the tenant said. \u201cAt first, they had a mold company come in, cut it out of the wall, and say, okay, well we cleared it\u2026just because this mold on the surface here [is gone] doesn’t mean that there’s not the conditions that led to its formation in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n

A shooting<\/strong> in front of the building<\/p>\n

As Rhea and other neighbors\u2019 apartments continued to rot away inside, the world outside became increasingly unsafe.<\/p>\n

\u200bWhen Malek Management leased the building’s ground-floor retail space to a smoke shop, residents submitted repeated complaints about heavy loitering and harassment outside the front door.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u201cMy wife was getting verbally harassed, especially late at night, and we were told \u2018be patient, be patient,\u2019 and it wasn’t fully addressed,\u201d a tenant who lived in the building said. \u201cMeanwhile, the mold issues were still not addressed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u200bThe situation escalated violently on April 24 at 6:30 p.m., when a drug-related shooting<\/a> erupted directly outside the smoke shop. The resulting police shootout with multiple gunmen left neighboring storefront windows covered in bullet holes and police stationed outside the entry 24\/7.<\/p>\n

Residents say the building now felt like an unsafe, toxic prison.<\/p>\n

\u200b”The frustrating part about the shooting\u2026was more to do with the fact that they were not addressing that it happened and not addressing or acknowledging that tenants would like them to be taking measures to be made safe moving forward,\u201d Rhea said.<\/p>\n

\u200bWith their lease ending in May, the roommates tried to negotiate. They asked to renew at their original rate with the one-month concession. Management immediately denied their request and would be adding a massive pay increase of $715 a month to their rent.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u201cWe were in a bind because we were like, if they’re not fixing this problem, we don’t really feel like we can resign, but moving in New York City is really expensive,\u201d Rhea explained.<\/p>\n

Contractors discovered a complete lack of waterproofing beneath the bathroom tiles, explaining why mold constantly grew.Lydia RheaMold issue persists<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u200bThree weeks after initially reporting the mold, Rhea says she still had no answers. Though NYC housing guidelines dictate that documented mold must be corrected<\/a> within a certain timeline depending on the square footage, she says the issue went unaddressed.<\/p>\n

\u200bOn May 4, Lydia finally filed a formal complaint with HPD. On May 7, she and her roommates notified management that they would be withholding their May rent.<\/p>\n

The next morning at 7:30 a.m., Rhea received a frantic call from her super pleading with them not to leave and promising the mold would be resolved.<\/p>\n

When contractors finally arrived on May 11, they cut into the closet drywall and made a shocking discovery: the wall, directly attached to her shower wall, contained zero waterproofing.<\/p>\n

Water from the shower had been seeping directly through wet tiles into the bare drywall for a year, a direct violation of Building Code 2509.2<\/a>, which mandates moisture-resistant backing for wet tiling.<\/p>\n

Contractors also discovered a complete lack of waterproofing beneath the bathroom tiles, explaining why mold constantly grew under the bathroom floor tiles and why Rhea had to scrub her shower every three days.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was honestly not surprised,\u201d Rhea said. \u201cClearly something was going on if the fact that this unit is a year old and there’s this many problems going on already. I think it just confirmed in my mind what we were starting to discover that it was just really cheaply built.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u200bThe contractors revealed that the only real fix was to completely gut and rip out both bathrooms. They patched the closet, but within three days, the sickening smell of mold returned.<\/p>\n

On May 18, the roommates submitted formal notice that they would vacate the unit on May 31.<\/p>\n

The security deposit battle<\/strong><\/p>\n

Moving out brought one final clash. On June 1, the day after vacating, Rhea received text messages from her super alleging the tenants had damaged the apartment. As proof, he sent photos of the unaddressed mold and bad paint job.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u201cI was really exasperated when I got [the messages],\u201d Rhea said. \u201cWe’re telling him that these issues have not been resolved, and then he’s doing a walkthrough and he’s sending me photos of mold.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next day, a phone call between Rhea, her property manager, and a roommate\u2019s parent descended into a shouting match. Management claimed they would withhold the entire $6,200 security deposit to cover \u201cdamages\u201d and the unpaid May rent.<\/p>\n

\u200bIn response, Rhea compiled a Google Drive containing emails, photos, and text messages that she believed would prove the landlord\u2019s neglect and sent it over.<\/p>\n

\u200bAfter a follow-up email more than a month later, Rhea and her roommates finally received a response that their security deposit would be returned on July 7.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u201cIt just really opened my eyes in terms of, unfortunately, how corrupt New York City landlords can be,\u201d Rhea said. \u201cI think they expect you to not go to lengths to hold them responsible for things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since moving out, Rhea\u2019s apartment has already been rented out for $6495\/month, according to StreetEasy.TikTok \/ Lydia RheaThe HPD case<\/strong><\/p>\n

While Rhea recovered her deposit, the musician’s attempt to hold the building owners and management officially accountable fell flat.<\/p>\n

\u200bPrior to the contractor’s discovery of the missing insulation, an HPD inspector had visited the unit, verbally confirming the mold as a major violation. <\/p>\n

Yet, the HPD case was closed without any follow-up and a message that said<\/a>: \u201cHPD conducted an inspection of this complaint. The conditions observed by the inspector did not violate the housing laws enforced by HPD. The complaint has been closed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rhea, who had been expecting to go to small claims court to refund the security deposit, tried to reopen the case. Her calls to HPD escalated through various bureaucratic channels until an operator suggested mailing physical photos to the HPD Chief, then gave her a phone contact to report the inspector.<\/p>\n

\u200bHowever, she says she was instead given the number for the Department of Homeland Security.<\/p>\n

\u200bExhausted, Rhea filed formal complaints to the Mamdani Administration and her NYC Council Member.<\/p>\n

\u200b\u201cI’m frustrated that there’s nothing really holding people accountable,\u201d Rhea said. \u201cI’m frustrated with how HPD handled it because online it’s showing as just a closed complaint and not a violation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moving on<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since she moved out, Rhea\u2019s old apartment has already been rented out to other tenants for $6495 per month, according to StreetEasy<\/a>. She fears they may face similar issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere wasn\u2019t time to fully address the building-wide issues,\u201d the tenant said. \u201cMaybe they finally fixed the rooftop leaking, but I have no idea what’s going on behind the wall.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rhea has since secured a new apartment on the Upper West Side<\/a> after spending the summer subletting in Washington Heights<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted a pre-war building,\u201d Rhea explained. \u201cI don’t want a new build. I want something with thick walls that has been maintained.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the nightmare experience, her affection for the city remains intact.<\/p>\n

\u201cI still wouldn’t want to live anywhere else in the states for a lot of reasons,\u201d Rhea said. \u201cIt’s a really amazing city to live in, but when they say that it makes you tough, they’re not lying.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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