Old building, new charm
Pros
Updated unit, new appliances, heat/AC controlled by renter, gym and laundry, rent is reasonable
Cons
super response time for when things need to be fixed, no week exterminator but not many sightings of bugs in unit
Advice to the owners
when someone emails you, answer them
Hope You Like Roaches & Negligent Landlords
Pros
There are some really good things about this apartment. Number one would be the windows in the bedroom and the living room, which all let in a ton of natural light. Also, in terms of interior decor, the hardwood floors in the bedroom and living room were a nice finish. The unit also has high ceilings, which was great to utilize vertical storage, especially since there isn't any closet space. Both heat and hot water are included in the rent and the water pressure in the showers and sinks is good. It's in a good area of the Bushwick that's close to grocery stores, pharmacies, and the train for people who need to commute into the city. In total, there are 6 units in the building -- all one-bedrooms so it's small and easy to get to know neighbors. Also, there is a communal washing machine and a dryer on the first floor. There's also a great night life scene all within walking distance from the building.
Cons
The number one thing that drove me away from this building was the pest issue. I consider myself a clean person with high standards for hygiene and I would consistently see a roach in my apartment about every two to three months or a roach in a common area of the building-- usually on the first floor near the laundry units. There is a pest control service that comes once a month to spray the units, but I don't believe all my neighbors were available to have their apartments treated, which lead to a more pervasive issue. The building is pre-war it relies on a steam radiator to heat each unit. Some of the time it gets too hot in the unit because the radiators aren't able to be switched on or off manually. Also, there were times when the building wouldn't have any heat because the landlord/management company was neglectful about turning it on. The laundry units in the building were reasonably priced but the dryer was absolutely terrible. You had to run the machine twice for a total of two hours in order to get your clothes reasonably dry-- and don't even try to wash denim, linens or heavy content towels because they'll take even longer to dry. Also, there were several times when there was a gas leak on the first floor which came from the dryer area-- the fire department was called after residents banded together out of concern for our safety. The management company is totally negligent and if you have an issue with your apartment you're essentially on your own. I now have skills in plumbing (fixing my toilet) and mold removal (fixing the stains in the shower that pre-dated my move-in). The apartment above my unit had an issue with the tub which caused it to overflow with water and leak into my bathroom creating water damage that the landlord never fixed. There's no building manager or super on-site. Although the management company tells residents the super lives in an apt on the 1st floor, that tenant has emphatically stated that they are not an employee of theirs. Also if you live on the first floor or second floor you get A LOT of noise from foot traffic and car traffic. Occasionally, there is an unhoused person in the vicinity who makes a ton of noises as well. Other miscellaneous things that bothered me were that there was no closet space, there was very little counter space in the kitchen and I had a queen size bed that took up most of the space in the bedroom. I moved out earlier than my lease because the issues with the apartment are far too much. I found a sub-tenant and the management company dragged their heels on the approval process because they wanted to keep my security deposit and replace me with a tenant who would stay for a full-year lease rather than someone who would leave at the end of the terms for my contract.
Advice to the owners
Do better and actually listen to your tenants when they communicate problems to you. That's what it means to be a property owner. When we tell you that there's something wrong with the building it's because we care about the property.
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