Great Location, Poor Management
Pros
I love the location, this part of the Upper West Side is very charming and safe. It is ideally located close to both the 86th and 79th 1 train stops. The building has lots of character.
Cons
Management is difficult to deal with. There was mold in the apartment and the solution provided by management was to paint over it instead of dealing with it properly. During the winter months the radiator was "not working" for weeks leaving the apartment temperature to get as low as 59 degrees. Even after fixed, they would forget to turn it on, leaving the apartment temperature below the legal limit. The upstairs neighbour caused flooding three separate times in two locations. I was left unable to use the bedroom for a month while repairs were being made and it took management weeks to hire contractors to begin work. We were asked to leave after our lease expired so that they could "renovate" the apartment post-flooding, leaving me with little time to secure new housing. The superintendent is slow to respond, even in emergency situations.
Advice to the owners
Tenants need more active management.
Great Management/location, OK building
Pros
VERY responsive property manager, always fixed things right away. He was also very reasonable and nice, not evil like some. The building cleaning/pest control was also very regular and could be requested for additional service at any time. The window views were wonderful (front apartment) as well, best part was looking out and seeing all the trees.
Cons
A few weird things due to the building being old. I.e. mosquitos inside constantly during the summer - they came from the drain!!! So weird and unavoidable no matter what we did. Even pest control couldn't get rid of them... Can't really think of any other cons, maybe the apartment layout but that's nyc apartments for you.
Advice to the owners
None really. Alan Tam (and Bella) are great and very reasonable and responsive. The only cons are kind of out of their control.