So many problems, safety issues, and shady practices
Pros
Roof access, proximity to grocery store and train, pet friendly
Cons
We were good tenants for 4 years, and experienced several maintenance issues and inattentive office staff for some pretty major problems. Our ceiling started leaking whenever there was heavy rain or snow, and we flagged it immediately with the office, which we had to follow up on several times after no answers. Many times, we had to put bowls and towels down, the leaking was so bad. Roofers came by at least three times to make repairs over an 18-month period, and final repairs were delayed because they waited until the dead of winter to get it done. These leaks caused several of the can lights in the ceiling to stop working, and with the time it took to fix, we imagine there is now a mold problem. The heating/cooling system in this apartment was also insufficient, as the ceilings are too high for heat to travel down properly. So many times in the winter months, our second bedroom was 55 degrees INSIDE. The windows were not sealed properly, so combined with the ineffective heating unit, it was freezing in the apartment AND our ConEd bills were astronomically high (some even $500+ in the winter months). We alerted the office about this, and they told us there was nothing they could do. The city of NY requires for internal temperatures to be at least 68 degrees if it is less than 55 degrees outside. This landlord provides heat, but skirted their responsibility for it by installing the inefficient HVAC units. There was also a gas leak, so they removed all the gas stoves from the building. It took several weeks to get replacements, which were electric and added even more to the already-high ConEd bill. There were still unaddressed repairs in the hallways from the gas project, i.e. unpatched drywall, 2+ years later. The refrigerator is small and cheap, and we had several shelves break due to being made of cheap plastic. When we asked the office to replace the shelves, they said we had "too many" (?) and we had to replace them ourselves. We asked how many tenants had used the refrigerator before, and were told 4 tenants had used the refrigerator without problems, but we were blamed for all of the wear and tear. Wouldn’t 4 tenants’ worth of use contribute to the wear and tear? We paid $150+ to replace the shelves, which was a lot for an appliance we don't own. The front door lock is constantly broken. If it locks at all, you'll be standing outside trying to get your key to work for 5 minutes. With construction going on in the retail space on the ground floor, our buzzer was also constantly broken. Because of the door being broken, packages were constantly stolen. The mailboxes are also unlocked, and we constantly had missing mail. When we complained and asked if security cameras could be installed, the office said no. Don't be fooled by the signs on the ground floor saying the building has cameras. It's a lie. Other "repairs" included cracked tiles in the bathroom being replaced but not sealed properly, so they cracked again. We also had several instances of our water being turned off without prior notice; the last time included no hot water for several hours. The other tenants in this building are also problematic. Someone kept shoving cardboard in the lock on the front door (probably contributing to it being broken all the time) so they wouldn't have to bring their keys when they left, leaving the entire building vulnerable to thieves and delinquents. When we complained, nothing to our knowledge was done about it, since it kept happening up to the day we moved out. Another neighbor was very unclean and constantly dragged garbage bags down the stairs, leaving liquid everywhere. Another neighbor constantly had loud parties until the wee hours of the morning. Our last year, they only renewed our lease for 11 months, which seems shady. We only noticed it when we were revisiting our lease for rules on moving out, and when we questioned them, their reply was "you signed it" with no explanation. Every other year, the lease was for 12 months. Not related to the building, but something prospective tenants should know: there are random loud festivals on the street directly outside the apartment with no notice. One of them was on a work day during work hours, which is incredibly inconsiderate of people who work from home. The 2023 hip-hop festival had our windows rattling non-stop for 8 hours straight, with no notice from the city this was going to happen. Also, the methadone clinic down the street contributes to a lot of sketchy activity on this block, so keep your head on a swivel when going and coming from this apartment. If anything happens, remember, the "security cameras" sign is fake news. The roof access and view of the skyline makes this apartment. Everything else leaves a lot to be desired.
Advice to the owners
Make sure your units are in optimal shape and be more attentive to serious repairs. Get sufficient heating and cooling systems. Install working security cameras. Take your tenants' safety seriously and penalize tenants who don't.
Despicable management, had bed bugs and mice, had to pressure landlord to help
Pros
Great neighborhood location. That's literally it.
Cons
The unit has a large back deck, which is nice, except there is only a glass door separating one bedroom from the deck (so the bedroom has no windows/no way to install AC and is FREEZING in the winter) - a maintenance guy the landlord sent once told us this door was not up to code and shouldn't be used on an outer entrance. The heat barely works and if you run the electronic baseboard heaters the electricity bill will be many hundreds. We had bed bugs and mice here in 2017 and the landlord was not responsive or helpful. Constant construction in the area.
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