Summarized from anonymous rental reviews on openigloo.
Recent tenant reviews for 523 West 173 Street indicate mixed feedback. The building's cleanliness stands out positively with well-managed pest control and efficient heating. However, issues like poor water pressure, noisy neighbors, inadequate garbage management, and lack of upkeep are concerning. Tenants appreciate the manageable size of the building but criticize the limited laundry facilities. Evidently, there are suggestions for better maintenance practices and improved owner responsiveness. Despite some drawbacks, the overall sentiment leans towards caution rather than recommendation due to various ongoing issues and management shortcomings.
Reviews (3)
2.38 stars
11 months ago
Some pros and cons
Former Tenant
Pros:
-very little/no pests! The perks of a new-ish building (built 2016). Occasionally see ants or a centipede or water bugs in basement, but really other than that it's nothing! Never seen a mouse which is a relief after some of the places I've lived in! Have seen roaches though. -SOME neighbors in the building are nice and quiet and we all talk to each other. -Pets allowed -nice proximity to train at 168 -each apt has its own water heater! Great water heat but pressure is terrible as there is constant pipe leakage in the basement which management won't fix, and they never did upkeep to the water heaters. The water is still hot but pressure not so great. When it's good, it's great and when it's bad, it's terrible. Super said "too much work" to fix. -Very fair and worth an affordable price around or under $1800 (I think worth less for higher floors). More than that is not worth it for these apartments, you can find much larger nearby with quieter neighbors. -Compost bin
Cons:
-You pay for your own heat AND air conditioning, and the units tend to malfunction and be extremely expensive to run/don't work that well at heating especially. -Advertise washer dryer in basement but full of mold and collapsing ceiling, actively leaking pipe, dryer doesn't work, washer causes white marks on clothes. -A few super noisy inconsiderate people here ruin the whole vibe of this building. They party to all hours sometimes so loud you can't even hear your TV or you'll be jolted awake at 4am. Or let their smoke alarms go off. Random visitors, some even vandalize the building or loiter in the vestibule. They smoke various things (nothing good) as they walk through the building and in units too so it smells terrible. Nothing to be done about it, landlord won't kick them out. -Basement leaks are frequent, just bandaid fixed over and over. A lot of mold down there. -Kitchens are super small for the most part and the stairs are narrow and somewhat uneven -Occasional homeless around/outside building -No super on site. -People go through your trash and leave it strewn everywhere outside -The guy cleaning does a terrible job so in general the floors just have dirt rubbed around.--UPDATE: the guy who cleans now does much better.
Advice to owner:
Fix it right once, it will be cheaper than bandaid smaller fixes.
1 stars
Over 2 years ago
DO NOT LIVE HERE
Former Tenant
Pros:
Nothing at all
Cons:
Do not live here! From the very beginning there were red flags I wish I paid attention to. The brokers told me I could pay rent electronically and that was a lie, had to order checks and use them every month. When I saw the building, I saw an apartment that I did not end up leasing. I leased a different unit and when I moved in the unit was in terrible condition. It was not cleaned or turned over at all. The previous tenant left and they literally gave me the keys the next day. The unit was disgusting, I wanted to throw up. Dirt and grime everywhere. I had to spend a lot of money hiring professional cleaners to make the apartment livable. The tub was the most disgusting and I have a picture attached to show. There was mold in my walls (picture attached). The super was never around however for the most part if I contacted him about something he would show up eventually. Whoever “cleaned” the building just cleaned the ground floor and maybe the first floor. The stairwell and my floor were never cleaned. Building is “newer” but poorly maintained. Virtually no maintenance. I had multiple leaks from the roof. On multiple occasions the handle on the front door of the building would break. One time it broke in such a way the door couldn’t open. I called the super and he didn’t seem concerned and I told him that his is a fire hazard because there’s no way to get out the building and his response was “well call the fire department”. There was no way to buzz people in to the first door of the building. If it was locked, you would have to physically go down and let guests in. However, the door needed to be locked because there were homeless crackheads who roam the block who would get into the building. I encountered multiple of them walking the hallways. The most offensive part about living in this building was the manager and the people and the block. I contacted her many many times throughout my time there informing her about issues in my unit and the building. She never seemed to care and would barely do anything. The entire summer and a part of fall there would be people blasting ear shattering loud music right in the front of the building all day and night (literally they would be out there until 5am). If your unit faces the front of the building then you’ll get no sleep. Overall this was the worst building and living experience I’ve ever had.
Advice to owner:
Get out of property owning and management, it's not for you
Building Ratings
Cleanliness
Garbage Management
Heat
Neighbors
Noise Levels
Owner Responsiveness
Pest Control
Water Pressure
Rents and Deposits
-- of renters received their security deposits back
It dummy text been reported if this building dummy electronic rent payments.
Open Violations
Only open violations from the last 10 years.
Data last updated 7 days ago.
The average number of violations per unit at 523 West 173 Street is worse than the city .
BUILDING AVERAGE:
3.37 violations per unit
NEW YORK CITY AVERAGE:
0.81 violation per unit
Non-hazardous
16
class A
i.e. no peephole on a door, or no street # on the building, unlawful keeping of animals
MOST RECENT:
Aug 24, 2025: § 27-2013 adm code paint with light colored paint to the satisfaction of this department at ceiling in the bathroom located at apt 1f, 1st story, 1st apartment from west at north
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Hazardous
6
class B
i.e. smoke detector issues, inadequate lighting, no lighting for stairways
MOST RECENT:
Aug 24, 2025: § 27-2017.3 hmc: trace and repair the source and abate the visible mold condition... less than 10 square ft at ceiling in the bathroom located at apt 1f, 1st story, 1st apartment from west at north
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Immediately hazardous
5
class C
i.e. rodents, pest, mold, inadequate heat or hot water, defective building parts
MOST RECENT:
Aug 24, 2025: hmc adm code: § 27-2017.4 abate the infestation consisting of roaches in the entire apartment located at apt 1f, 1st story, 1st apartment from west at north
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Missing information/filings
0
class I
Missing or non-compliant with administrative information orders or filings
MOST RECENT:
No violation found...
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Property Owners and Associates
W
West 173 Group LLC
2.5(3)
Corporate Owner•
1 Property•8 Units
Litigation History: No
Evictions: 1
M
Maurice Kohan
2.5(3)
Head Officer•
3 Properties•14 Units
Litigation History: No
Evictions: 2
W
West 173 Group Lllc
2.5(3)
Corporate Owner•
1 Property•8 Units
Litigation History: No
Evictions: 1
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