2 year stay
Pros
Topaz is a pretty established management firm it seems, so it’s relativity easy to get in contact with them and sort things out. Can be weird in the New York way of things, but ultimately fine. Location is great, rooftop is beautiful, and laundry (though a bit gross) in the basement. Felt safe and since we had an apartment at the back, was pretty quiet for an nyc apartment.
Cons
The super could be hard to get a hold of and was really unhelpful. Often made the problem worse instead of any better. Hallways are gross and rarely if ever cleaned, minus the ground floor which is cleaned semi frequently. Heating for roommates and neighbors sometimes did not to work, though it seems management has fixed this problem since the winter, at least in our unit.
Noisy, Overpriced, Literally Crumbling
Pros
Laundry in building but machines are always down or dirty. Super is somewhat responsive to maintenance requests. Great neighborhood. Shared rooftop with nice views.
Cons
I think the median age in this building is around 24/25. Many residents were inconsiderate: constant screaming, slamming doors, trash left out, etc. The building isn’t maintained. Stairwells are crumbling, fixtures fall apart, pests are constant presence. We had mice and roaches. Leaks were a major issue in 2021/2022 with some apartments having to go without their entire bathrooms for days. My apartment was affected — while my bathroom was out of service for a whole weekend, I was told to use a vacant apartment’s dirty bathroom. Topaz refused to compensate for this inconvenience. I think I got maybe 5% “reduced rent” for the month? This was after weeks of surprise “emergency” visits from the Super and other maintenance workers. If you live here, expect to be disrupted constantly. This building is an absolute a joke for what they charge. Edit: I had to update this because I can currently hear everything going on in the two units near me. Walls are PAPER THIN and everyone is LOUD.
Advice to the owners
Make sure apartments are properly and professionally cleaned and painted between tenants; the Super and his wife doing a half-ass job with Windex is not cutting it for the amount residents are charged. Cut down on the rent if you’re not going to improve the building! I hate that people are so desperate to live in Williamsburg because, unfortunately, these mediocre apartments will keep being rented in a day to suckers who don’t know any better.