Dirty and infested but affordable
Pros
The people living here are nice, and the apartments are large. There is laundry in the basement.
Cons
The lobby and hallways were always dirty. Big problem with mail and packages being stolen. Lots of roaches throughout building, and rats in basement where the laundry is. The super never responds to maintenance requests. Had problems with ceiling falling in twice and dirty water come out the pipes.
Problems pose health risk
Pros
Loved the neighbors and location. The neighbors created a library in the lobby and they put a Christmas tree up during the holidays. There is an 838 Riverside Drive Facebook group, which is used for borrowing things from neighbors like screwdrivers or sugar. They’ve also attempted to form a tenant org and you can get information from the administrators of the group.
Cons
M & I Management is a horrible management company. They are not responsive, there is no pest control (rats and roaches are a big issue), and they never fixed hazardous issues in our apartment or building. There are more rats in this area than in other areas. The volume of rats seems above average. In front of the building, there is an issue with dog-doo. There is always a bag of dog-doo on top of a pillar that is right by the entrance. It’s unfortunate because the area is nice. The elevator is often broken down (which is tough for the people who live on higher floors and people who are injured or have a thought time walking. I lived on the 6th floor and can walk without support, but it is still aggravating having to walk up with heavy bags of groceries, luggage, or laundry often. We also pay a higher rent because of things like the elevator, but it often isn’t operable). Also when the elevator is down, it blocks your access to the trash room and laundry room. So on those days that the elevator doesn’t work, tenants pile their trash in the lobby. The fobs often don’t work on the front door to the building so management has kept the door unlocked. There were issues with people stealing packages and throwing trash in the lobby as a consequence. The water in the second bathroom in the apartment was constantly yellow-brown. They wouldn’t fix it. The management company is very slow to returning security deposits. Mike, the head person in charge, was visibly annoyed by any complaint. The administrators seem to not like talking to tenants, and they are overall unpleasant to deal with. It is way too expensive for the issues we experienced. I recommend not renting here. There is better.
Advice to the owners
Hire better office workers and get rid of the rats, cockroaches, and take out the garbage and recycling more than once a week.
/-73.945906,40.836207,14/640x640@2x?access_token=pk.eyJ1Ijoib3BlbmlnbG9vIiwiYSI6ImNsYjNmMjVwdzBjeHgzd21wYmJmZDB0eGYifQ.XZvZCOh51yXuDBE-I3Bg0A)
/-73.936131,40.841465,14/640x640@2x?access_token=pk.eyJ1Ijoib3BlbmlnbG9vIiwiYSI6ImNsYjNmMjVwdzBjeHgzd21wYmJmZDB0eGYifQ.XZvZCOh51yXuDBE-I3Bg0A)
/-73.936227,40.841345,14/640x640@2x?access_token=pk.eyJ1Ijoib3BlbmlnbG9vIiwiYSI6ImNsYjNmMjVwdzBjeHgzd21wYmJmZDB0eGYifQ.XZvZCOh51yXuDBE-I3Bg0A)