Bed-Stuy Dictator Hope Stevens
Pros
The room is spacious Safe area
Cons
For $1100 a month you get... Mice (I found two mice in my room and an exterminator was never called to treat the property) An extremely combative and stubborn landlord! (who will enter your room while you are gone) The landlord is extremely stubborn and outright REFUSES to communicate if you ask her to make repairs (She literally cursed me out outside on the block on my way to work at 7am!!) She only wants her money and will not communicate to resolve issues. No WIFI!! (wifi was initially included then the landlord took it away when she heard a tenant complaining about her) Weak hot water pressure in bathroom sink (it took 4 months to finally get that fixed) No walking in your room! (Landlord complained I was walking around in my room at night so its safe to assume she will complain if you have guests) Poorly designed floorplan: someone decided to put a kitchen directly behind the bedroom so you will hear every sound in the kitchen and anyone in the kitchen can hear anything you do in your bedroom. Landlord will enter your room while you are gone. I installed cameras and on two separate occasions caught the landlord entering my unit in my absence, even inviting another tenant to enter my unit. If you are threatened with gun violence by another tenant (as I was) the landlord will take NO steps to ensure your safety. She will not call police, she will not even threaten to evict the person who threatened you. In short there will be no repercussion if your life is threatened. Eviction: If you should be evicted landlord will slap a "Termination of Lease" sign on your door in plain view of other tenants with your government name on it for everyone to see (an attempt to embarass you). This is unprofessional as she could place the letter in an envelope and slide it under your door or place the letter in a sealed envelope and tape that to your door. Landlord is very petty and verbally abusive.
Advice to the owners
Listen to your tenants! Be willing to communicate in a cordial and respectful manner at a reasonable hour to resolve issues (not 7am right before work)! The "My way or the highway" landlord approach is a horrible way to conduct business and will breed resentment for you amongst your tenants. Also lower the rent. $1100 for a room with no wifi is crazy.