Famous Marx Bros Building has a Bad Landlord Who Breaks All the Rules
Pros
Location is nice close to central park and Guggenheim. It’s a quiet neighborhood and neighbors were friendly while moving in…
Cons
Things break often (doorknob, lock, buzzer, boiler, plumbing issues with water and gas plumbing, floors are bad in many units, no good ventilation in bathrooms, etc. and responsiveness is very slow. Didn’t have gas for2 month s because of illegal gas plumbing and gas leak. Very dangerous situation so the gas was turned off. Lofts are all Illegal yet they are rented as “loft apartments” and residents pay for the additional square footage. When actuality the landlord has been ordered by a court to remove or permit them As storage (not lofts space). The leases/rent should be “rent stabilized “but according to paperwork and history all but a couple have allegedly fraudulently been changed so they are no longer rent stabilized. There are active fines and court cases. There is a resident/tenant’s association actively acting on behalf of the residents and looking out for them. No honesty with the real estate broker leasing apt, the Manager or the owner. It’s criminal. The city should section 7 this building and take over managing it and return the Apts to their original rent stabilized status. Lots of struggling creatives live there. From the gas leak, the the leaking sewage to the asbestos in the basement to the illegal lofts…the question to ask is what else don’t I know about this place?
Advice to the owners
Do the right thing for the residents of this building and fix things correctly. Get permits. Return the leases to their rightful status. What you have done is criminal.