Avoid like the plague. Pests, mice, and no heat!
Pros
Building was rent stabilized and affordable for the area. Bedrooms were large with good lighting.
Cons
Slumlords run the building. Before I left, there was a six month span where we did not have hot water for nearly 30 days (with 8 consecutive days without heat). During the summer the pests and bugs were out of control. I one caught 8 mice in a three month span. As you can probably guess, management responded poorly in all of these preventable situations. When we withheld rent due to a breach in the ‘warrant of habitability’ our landlord increased our rent for a brief period of time rather then offer concessions. To get the landlord to do anything was pulling teeth, as a result the building was filthy throughout the year. The cherry on top was during the first weeks of the pandemic they threatened to illegally charge us astronomical late fees (which was illegal prior to COVID). Avoid this building like the plague.
Advice to the owners
You guys are slumlords, but you already knew that.
Big apartments - Terrible owners
Pros
Large apartments, great location in Harlem, pet friendly!
Cons
Completely unresponsive landlord. Have been through 5 supers in the last 3 years. Mice and ants are rampant because of the garbage getting piled up outside. It took almost a year to fix a minor (that turned major due to negligence) leak in from the rooftop that came all the way down the building and eventually EXPLODED during a rainstorm - only then did it get fixed. The “laundry in building” that is advertised has been broken for WELL over a year and is likely not being replaced because the basement was not up to code. The management gave the absolute bare minimum of help during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the apartments above mine was burglarized in 2019 and they have still not replaced the cameras or updated the security system - which goes out every couple of months.
Advice to the owners
Lower the rent. Keep the building up. Apartments with no amenities (even the ones promised) that are not cared for are not worth what you are charging. COMMUNICATE with your tenants. Even if the answer is “we’re still working on it,” that is better than radio silence, especially in regards to maintenance issues, cleanliness, and amenities we PAY FOR.
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