Prosecutors said it was the first time in memory that such a charge had been lodged against Manhattan landlords.

Manhattan landlords have raised rents to record levels, with Midtown rents up nearly 30 percent in the last year.

But the penny-for-penny stuff has won the affection of Manhattan landlords.

But unlike lease arrangements in shopping malls, a Manhattan landlord almost never collects a percentage of tenants' gross revenues.

This sudden reversal of fortunes in the financial-services industry has left Manhattan landlords feeling poorer, too.

Another recent participant in the talks has been the Fisher real estate family, a major Manhattan landlord.

Life would be easier for tenants if Manhattan landlords adhered to a consistent method of measuring floor area in office buildings.

A Manhattan landlord and his wife were ordered to spend 30 days in jail and pay nearly $2 million in fines.

At the moment, Related is the only Manhattan landlord to let tenants charge rent automatically on the card.

Jonathan Labatto, a 39-year-old Manhattan landlord, could not contain his shock.