The tucked away haven
Pros
Never heard sirens, landlord cleans the stairs/lobby regularly, management has replaced our appliances and janky cupboards within the last 2 years of living here, amazing location, quiet and safe, exterminator comes every month to spray and we’ve only ever had one single roach in 2 years, just repainted the lobby and stairwells
Cons
Old, no fire escapes on the building, electrical is super old so we can’t have a/c in our living room, carpet on the stairs is kinda gross
Not a bad place, beware erroneous deposit deductions
Pros
Overall an excellent location in the Upper West Side. Close to the 1, 2, 3 and Central and Riverside parks so no complaints there. The building itself is standard for the city. Super was responsive to pressing issues. Amenities were modern and generally nice. Also, incredible living room -- highlight of the apartment. The light in the living room and spaciousness made for a nice living and work from home space.
Cons
The layout of the apartment is very odd. It feels like a 2 bed 1 bath that was turned into a 3 bed to squeeze more people in it. The stairwell/common space was plagued by various messes like squished grapes or random nonsense that would go unattended; nothing egregious but still. The degree of separation between the owner and the property management obfuscates responsibility after move-out. The actual owner is difficult to get into contact with and is hostile to any challenges you may have regarding the state of the apartment upon moving out. Even when clearly in violation of NY statutes (regardless of whatever proof you have), he will attempt to bully you via threatening legal action, however erroneous, to deter you from considering small claims court filings or just finding a reasonable solution without escalation to court. Long story short, document every little thing upon move in and move out (I mean meticulously), and even then you still you run the risk of junk charges being taken out of your deposit followed by outright hostility when you inquire about it, if you can even get in touch with the owner at all! Don't expect him to approach disputes in good faith.
Advice to the owners
Don't squeeze tenants. Even once they’ve left, it's a bad look to make a habit of extracting unreasonable amounts out of regular people who don't have the time or resources to fight you on it. You are the owner, consider being more responsible and reasonable in these situations.
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