557 Franklin Avenue,

Brooklyn, NY 11238

Most tenants, location, block association, community.

—I don't recommend renting here, due to the owner, but if you do, you will find some nice tenants. I particularly caution renting apartments 7 or 3.

—There is a tenant union devoted to this property owner, called Full Time Tenant Union. The property owner’s real name is Wolfe Landau, the company is Watermark Capital Group, they own ~300+ buildings in NYC under various LLCs.

—A gentrification campaign of construction and harassment (including break-ins & buyouts) forced many tenants out during 2012-2015. Some market rate apartments here should be stabilized.

—Package thefts have been a problem here for over 5 years, affecting all tenants.

—Male tenant "Chris" in Apt 15 exposed his genitals to me twice. He stalked another female neighbor, used his baby to gain sympathy & access into her apartment, and I believe he sent text messages pretending to be his girlfriend to gain trust. There are 4 police reports filed about this person. The landlord has not done anything about it to remove the tenant or to make the building safer.

—Same male tenant "Chris" in Apt 15, after these sexual assault and stalking incidents, has been regularly flooding my apartment. The water runs into the apartments below me, including Apartments 7 and 3. This has gone on for over a year with no sign of stopping.

—The owner does not file required permits for gas or electrical work, does not use licensed contractors, and does not provide access to DOB or HPD for inspections. We have had three gas leaks in the building since 2020. The fire department has been here and the utility has told us that, in one apartment, the wrong size pipe was used and the pipe was broken. There is a broken gas pipe in my apartment for over one year that has not been repaired.

—Maintenance is poor, once weekly cleaning service does not really clean anything, as they do not have access to a sink. There is no superintendent in the building.

—Broken glass front door to the building, covered with blood, was not repaired for three days, a fairly recent incident.

—The property was broken into 5 times recently. The individual broke into Apartment 3 twice, and broke into a neighboring property twice, via our property's backyard. That individual went through an unsecured window and hid in our cellar space. Management never reached out to tenants; rather tenants had to solve this issue, putting us in danger.

—Brick exterior is cracked with water infiltration, and one side of the building is covered with vines (it's pretty, but it damages brick & mortar).

—Roof has been advertised as an amenity, but it is actually covered with a cell tower, gas powered equipment, and no railing, so it is not legal and not safe. FDNY detected a gas leak there in 2020. With rain/snow, it is a source of water leaks throughout the building, not just the top floor.

—Roof and drains around the property have leaks and floods due to lack of maintenance. Also some bizarre plumbing issues in this building over the years, with waste water from one apartment leaking or backing up into sinks and bathtubs in different apartments.

—Tenants regularly complain of roaches, probably due to the various moisture problems.

—Property owner also engages financial abuse, credit abuse, overcharges, and pursued evictions during the pandemic against NY state law.

None

Great location
Kind neighbors
Great access to trains
Updated units
Great sunlight
Okay response time for when things needs to get fixed by super

Very noisy and insulation isn’t the best