Forest Hills Landlord Didn't Disclose Needed Repairs, Settles: Report

FOREST HILLS — A real estate billionaire that failed to disclose a Forest Hills condo conversion needed repairs before selling his units settled a case with the state Attorney General in June, THE CITY reported.

Joel Wiener, chief executive of The Pinnacle Group, was selling condos in a renovated Forest Hills building, but the condos needed piping repairs. Wiener paid a penalty of tens of thousands of dollars for not acknowledging the necessary piping work to condo buyers.

The president of the condo board, Sabrina Gao, told THE CITY that she had been unaware of the repairs that needed to be done when she bought her condo in 2017.

“I think they were trying to cover it, but then unfortunately on their part, the problem resurfaced about a year after the conversion to the condo happened,” Gao told THE CITY.

The report says Wiener paid $330,000 to the condo’s reserve fund to cover the cost of the piping. He also paid $150,000 in penalties to the city Department of Housing Preservation and Development.

Under the settlement agreement, Pinnacle also agreed to pay for the replacement of the electric stoves in the building with gas stoves.

Weiner’s company has faced problems with his tenants before. In 2006, Pinnacle agreed to pay $1 million to the hundreds of rent-stabilized tenants who were overcharged at an apartment complex in The Bronx.