Harlem building owner in trouble

The city Department of Buildings yesterday vowed to crack down on the owners of an unstable Harlem building, saying the landlords falsely claimed the structure was empty when they applied for a permit to convert it to condos.

CITY HAMMERS OWNERS OF HARLEM'S FAULTY TOWER

"When they false-file, it is illegal and unsafe and we will take action," DOB Commissioner Patricia Lancaster said of the owners, Manhattan North Management.

"We will take them to the mat for this. We'll make an example of people who false-file."

The seven-story, 84-unit building at 305 W. 150th St. was evacuated Tuesday evening after the 27 families who live there complained that construction for the conversion to condos had left the structure on the verge of collapse.

Here's the best part:

It was not until the Fire Department was called to the seven-story building late Tuesday and discovered a rash of potential fire hazards that the building was declared unsafe and its tenants evacuated.

Building Declared Safe the Day of an Evacuation, Records Show

But according to records of the Department of Buildings, a building inspector had responded to a complaint of unsafe demolition practices in the building earlier that day, and had determined that the building was indeed sound.