How Chandru Ramnani Turned a Luxury Manhattan Building Into His Personal Commission Factory —While Tenants Suffer and Landlords Stay in the Dark
Manhattan 5th Ave condominium just steps from Bryant Park, hides a shocking tenant
exploitation scheme that has reportedly thrived for years—unchecked and unchallenged.
At the center of it is Chandru Ramnani, a so-called “broker” who, according to multiple
residents, has turned the building into his personal hunting ground—isolating landlords,
trapping tenants, and profiting from a cycle of harassment and tenant displacement.
The Core of the Scam: Keeping Landlords in the Dark, Pushing Tenants to Break, and
Cashing In Again and Again
While renters believe they’re dealing with licensed realtors or official building management,
Ramnani inserts himself as the only gatekeeper—cutting off tenants from landlords
entirely. He takes full control of communication, never formally documenting his role, while
pushing tenants to deal only with him.
What’s worse, Ramnani sits on the condo board, giving him direct influence over who gets
approved, who stays, and who goes—all while profiting from the constant turnover.
Owners, many of whom live overseas or out-of-state, are kept in the dark about what’s really
happening in their units. Tenants are left stranded in unlivable conditions, frustrated to the
point of breaking, and eventually pushed out—only for Ramnani to re-rent the same
apartments to new victims for fresh broker fees.
The Victims’ Story: A Masterclass in Deception, Pressure,
and Betrayal
In April 2024, a couple looking for a home in Manhattan fell into Ramnani’s trap.
From the very beginning, Chandru claimed to represent the landlord, but never provided
any written disclosure of this relationship, nor did he offer any legal brokerage agreement.
With less than a month to move-in, the couple warned Chandru multiple times that board
approval might not be ready in time, asking to start their lease on May 1st instead. But
Chandru insisted on April 15th, pressuring them to stick to that date.
As the process dragged on, the couple grew more and more frustrated with Chandru’s
constant mistakes and lack of transparency. Despite repeated false promises from
Chandru—telling them “there’s no issue, you will be moving on April 15th” — everything fell
apart at the very last minute.
On Friday, April 12th, just three days before move-in, Chandru suddenly told them they
couldn’t move in because the board approval wasn’t ready. But by that time, the couple had
already signed a surrender agreement with their current landlord, booked movers, and made
all their preparations to leave.
Desperate for answers, the couple spent the entire day chasing both Chandru and building
management, trying to find a solution. When it became clear nothing would be resolved, they
told Chandru they were cancelling the deal. Just 15 minutes later, at 4:30 PM on Friday, building management suddenly sent an email approving their move-in for Monday morning.
Although the couple felt deeply uneasy and questioned whether they should move forward
with a building that had already caused so much stress, they had nowhere else to go. With
all their belongings packed and ready, they had no choice but to continue—pushed into a
deal they no longer trusted.
A New Home Becomes an Eight-Month Nightmare
What should have been a fresh start quickly turned into a living hell.
The apartment they walked into was nothing like what had been promised:
● No hot water in the bathroom.
● No heating in the bedroom.
● Windows that wouldn’t open or close.
● A filthy, uncleaned space, despite claims of professional cleaning.
They reported the issues immediately, but Ramnani did nothing.
Instead, he blocked all communication with the landlord, forcing them to go through him
alone, while he continued to promise that everything would be fixed “soon”. But nothing ever was.
After eight months, they were still living without heating or hot water.
FROM BROKEN PROMISES TO BROKEN WALLS: How a
Manhattan Couple Was Trapped in a Luxury Apartment
Nightmare
After eight months of silence and inaction, the hot water issue was finally fixed—but it
came with a new nightmare. To access the bathroom pipes, workers broke open the bedroom wall, leaving the couple living with fully exposed plumbing running through their entire bedroom.
The entire pipe system of the 20th floor was left open and unfinished, turning their
so-called luxury home into a construction site—dangerous, unlivable, and completely
unacceptable. When they politely asked for this unsafe situation to be fixed, things escalated
dangerously.
THANKSGIVING NIGHT SHOCKER: Broker Enters Apartment, Threatens Tenants, and Police Are Called
On Thanksgiving Eve, at 10:30 PM, Chandru Ramnani—who lives in the building
himself—stormed into their apartment, confronting them with the words:
“What are you complaining about now?”
He then threatened them, claiming that the landlord had decided not to renew their lease.
Terrified and feeling unsafe, the couple called the police, who responded to the scene to
de-escalate the situation. Video recordings and official police reports confirm the incident.
THE DAY THE TRUTH CAME OUT: The Landlord Finally Picks Up the Phone
After the harassment, the couple—already exhausted by months of silence—emailed the
landlord one final time, explaining that they would no longer speak to Chandru Ramnani.
They requested direct contact with the landlord or another official representative, sharing
their phone numbers and detailing every moment of their ordeal.
The very next day, after eight months of being ignored, the landlord finally called.
What they revealed was more shocking than the couple could have imagined.
The landlord admitted they had been completely unaware that the couple had been living
without hot water, without heating, and with a bedroom wall ripped open, exposing live
plumbing.
Even worse, the landlord revealed that Chandru had lied to him—telling him the issue
was part of a “building-wide hot water problem, ” when in fact, it was a private plumbing defect inside the apartment, proven by the broken wall and exposed pipes.
And in a final twist, the landlord told the couple they were actually welcome to stay and
that he wanted to renew their lease—completely contradicting Chandru’s threats.
This entire conversation was recorded by the couple, providing clear,
undeniable evidence that Chandru had misled the landlord while terrorizing
the tenants with false eviction threats.
THE RETALIATION BEGINS: From Silence to Open Harassment
But once the couple broke free of Chandru’s control and established direct contact with
the landlord, Ramnani’s behavior took a dark turn.
Enraged that they had gone around him, Chandru began harassing the couple repeatedly
inside the building — confronting them in elevators, lurking in the lobby, and threatening
to have them removed from the building. These incidents were caught on video, providing clear evidence of Chandru’s continued harassment. He openly threatened that they would be “kicked out” of the building, telling them to prepare to leave.
THE FINAL BETRAYAL: One Month Later, the Landlord Turns His Back
And less than a month later, after relentless harassment and after the couple filed formal
complaints against Chandru, the landlord—who had just days earlier promised
renewal—suddenly changed course.
This time, the landlord claimed that his daughter would be moving into the apartment,
and the couple was told they had to leave. The landlord offered no further discussion, no apology—just a demand to vacate, leaving the couple stunned, betrayed, and forced to prepare for yet another move.
A LARGER, SINISTER PATTERN: IT ISN’T JUST ONE CASE—IT’S A BROKEN SYSTEM
As devastating as this couple’s experience was, they are not alone. Multiple tenants and landlords in the building have quietly spoken up, describing similar patterns of deception, intimidation, and manipulation at the hands of Chandru Ramnani.
With a seat on the condo board, Ramnani appears to operate with unchecked authority,
often placing tenants into units without board approval or building management’s
knowledge. He sidesteps policies, uses loopholes, and inserts renters into units without
transparency, exposing owners to legal risk and tenants to toxic living conditions.
Even more disturbingly, when disputes arise between tenants and landlords, Ramnani is
known to side with the landlord willing to pay him more—not based on truth or fairness,
but on profit. Multiple residents say he has used his influence to suppress complaints,
shield certain landlords, and create an atmosphere of fear and favoritism.
And it doesn’t stop at rentals.
Several landlords have alleged that after selling their apartments, Ramnani failed to
transfer the full sale proceeds, leading to financial disputes and escalating tensions.
These allegations raise serious questions about possible fraud and misconduct far
beyond just broker behavior.
THE PAY-TO-PLAY GAME: How Chandru Ramnani Profits From Misery
Over and over again, tenants describe the same cycle:
● Defective units rented out with no disclosure.
● Complaints ignored or blocked from reaching landlords.
● Conditions made unbearable until tenants give up and move out.
● Units re-rented immediately—for another full broker fee.
● Tenants who resist are harassed until they leave.
All while Ramnani remains in control of the building’s internal politics, acting as a
self-declared authority, policing approvals, deals, and outcomes—with no accountability.
A CALL FOR INVESTIGATION: THIS GOES BEYOND ONE APARTMENT
Victims have stepped forward with police reports, video footage, audio recordings,
emails, and documentation. Their demand is clear:
It’s time for the New York Department of State, and other regulatory bodies, to
launch a formal investigation not just into Ramnani’s licensing conduct, but into
the entire power structure he controls inside the condominium.
Because as long as Chandru Ramnani remains in charge, tenants will continue to suffer,
landlords will continue to be misled, and a luxury building in the heart of Manhattan will
remain the center of an ongoing scam.
