Columbus Square — Local services in New York

I’ve been in 808 Columbus Avenue for nearly a year and think the steep 421a surcharges on renewals aren't fair and transparent. Full review below!

Pros: Gorgeous views of Central Park and Reservoir, see photos (only if you are higher than the building opposite); great amenities – nice pool, gym, 3rd floor garden; no amenities fees; friendly doormen; maintenance requests serviced same day

Cons: Building is applying a 421a surcharge since July 2023, it’s on Columbus so quite noisy and can hear every siren even on 28th floor, the ACs are inefficient so you have to set the thermostat lower in summer which makes utility bills sky high – the rooms run warm though so cosy in winter

As a PSA I’m going to spend some time explaining the 421a surcharge because I think the wording in the rider is very “gotcha”/non-transparent (seems to imply being charged 2.2% when you are actually charged a multiple of 2.2% based on building's tax abatement year and not "first year" of your rental contract).

The rider is one page in a 50+ pages lease docs package, I’ve attached a screenshot. Since July 2023 (year 13), the building has been applying 421a surcharges on renewals. Basically this bullet is applicable: “421-a tax abatement for 20 years - the phase-out surcharge collection of 2.2% begins in year 13, eight increases, total surcharge not to exceed 17.6%” (google for source, google reviews not letting me put in links)

From July 2023, the surcharge will be 2.2%; then from July 2024: 4.4%, and then from July 2025 6.6%; and then from July 2026 8.8% and so on. I’m attaching a table I worked out. This surcharge is in addition to the yearly increase set by the rent guidelines board (eg for late 2024 the yearly increase set by the board was 2.75% on a 1 year lease term).

TLDR; if you’re getting the apartment for just the initial lease term – great, but if you’re planning on staying longer and renewing, on renewal the building is charging the full amount of the 421a surcharge with no negotiating or flexibility (I tried and failed to have them reduce/waive this)

Why is this annoying?

1. I consider it a win to be on top of my own tax schedule, it’s a bit much for me to be aware of where the building is in its tax abatement schedule, but that’s what’s needed to be aware of how much my rent will be jacked up every year. The increases are far outstripping inflation/reasonable-ness
2. Building is using RealPage so the initial rent is inflated anyway – RealPage is currently being sued by DOJ
3. Building is offering 1 month off concession to lure you in (btw I never got this - in fact I had to pay 2 additional weeks of rent to get the apartment earlier than I wanted to move in), and then I’m guessing the increases will apply on the actual rent – this might be technically legal but it's dubious enough that I’ve found at least one case of a lawsuit being filed against different developer for this practice - google "421a...

We lived in building 801 for 15 months and the first 14 of them were great. Unfortunately, based on our experience close to and after moving out, we cannot recommend renting in a UDR-owned property.

First, the good. The concierge staff at the building was excellent. In particular Adel and Joseph were always super helpful and friendly. The porters Belka and Ralph were great as well.

We were lucky to not have any incidents that required maintenance most of the time we lived there. Shortly after we put in our notice that we weren’t going to renew, the hot water went out in our apartment. We submitted four separate maintenance requests on different days that were immediately closed out without being actioned. Finally after several other tenants also complained, the building acknowledged there was an issue but still took close to two weeks to fix it.

On move out, we were charged a 300 dollar “cleaning fee” from our security deposit, despite the unit being left in thoroughly cleaned condition. When we asked for details on what necessitated that high a fee, they referenced a screenshot of an email that states they offer cleaning services. Nowhere in our lease was it stated that the unit must be professionally cleaned and even so, UDR’s email quoted their in-house cleaning service as 200 dollars. We asked for more information several times, as we are entitled to within 2 weeks of the end of our lease per NY state law, but our emails have been going unanswered for over a month and a half. At this point, we assume they know they have no grounds to withhold the fee but figure no one will challenge them legally over a relatively small sum.

All in all, if you never need anything in your apartment and you are fine not getting your security deposit back, you will likely have a great experience here. Otherwise,...

Follow-up Review from Another Account – Unfair Charges and Lack of Transparency

This is a follow-up to a previous review I posted from my original account. Since Google only allows one review per user, I’m using this account to respond to the public comment made by Columbus Square and to provide a more detailed update on my experience.

Columbus Square claims that move-out charges are based on a fair assessment comparing the unit’s condition at move-in and move-out. Unfortunately, that’s not what happened in my case.

I was initially charged $1,920 to replace 8 kitchen cabinet doors, even though only 3 had minor cosmetic wear — the kind of wear that’s clearly expected from normal use. After I raised concerns, they revised the charge to $720, which is still excessive given that no structural damage was present and the cabinets were fully functional.

I was also charged $1,250 for replacing 277 floorboards, based on photos showing only light surface scratches — again, normal for any lived-in apartment. Charging for full flooring replacement under these conditions is unreasonable and unjustified.

I made multiple attempts to resolve this directly with the billing department, including a final formal request for clarification on May 22, 2025, with a deadline to respond by May 29. Despite that, I heard nothing back until May 30, and even then, no new justification or documentation was provided.

As a result, I’m now preparing to file a claim with New York Small Claims Court to recover the disputed charges and protect my rights as a tenant.

Columbus Square’s public messaging promotes fairness, but my experience shows a pattern of overcharging, lack of transparency, and delayed communication. I urge future tenants to document everything, and be prepared to stand up for yourself when...