The listing on Streeteasy will charm you but it's not worth it!!
Pros
The neighbors were great! And we never had any issues with bugs or pests. The location is also great with a grocery store next door, two major bus stops and the A/C train. The location felt safe at night and there's a lot of bars and cafes in the area.
Cons
I can go on and on about the issues in this building: - The first day we moved in, someone shattered the front door. It was fixed quickly, but over the two years living there, packages were constantly stolen or never made it to the front "lobby" (somehow delivery couriers lost door access). Instead they would be sent to random bodegas around the area. - Windows were not installed properly and there was a constant drift from outside. This meant that the temperature of the apartment matched the outside temperature (30deg in winter, 90deg in summer) and made heating/AC virtually useless. Windows also fell out on several occasions when there was strong wind outside. - One bedroom had a radiator that flooded the room whenever it was on. We push management to fix it and each time, they only applied bandage solutions that made the problem worse over time. - The other bedroom had a crack in the ceiling which let in a waterfall whenever it rained outside. Management didn't respond to our maintenance request until a week later, and even then, only painted over the water damage. - Management conveniently forgot to turn on the heat in the winter, so we were best friends with 311. We called 311 at least 50 times over the course of 2 years.
Great apartment, awful building
Pros
My apartment is gorgeous! Gut renovated with unique details. All of the neighbors are friendly without being overly social - good vibes, but you get to keep your privacy
Cons
The management straight up sucks. Of the five years we lived there, our buzzer worked for a total of 4 months. Our bath faucet has never worked correctly. The hallways are poorly maintained and due to the cheap vinyl on the stairs, I’ve almost fallen several times. Sometimes the top layer of the stair just… falls off. They were doing construction and managed to leave a giant hole in the roof that nearly flooded the entire building. Our neighbors’ entire place was ruined with irreplaceable items they can never get back. The building was slow to respond and completely unapologetic. The whole building smelled like mold for months.
Advice to the owners
The fancy online portal is completely useless if you do not actually complete any of the work orders put into it.