cold, moldy, hard-to-reach owners and crumbling brick
Pros
Quiet relative to the street, but noisy between units / the hallway. Rooftop access is nice, but has a blinding light at night which makes it unpleasant. Cool in the summer.
Cons
Two neighbors left early with horrible sewage in one case and freezing cold apartment for all. When there were severe leaks, it took management weeks to address, and their communication was scarce and negligent. No reimbursement / rent deduction was given despite their promise to do so given the uninhabitability during that time. FREEZING COLD IN THE WINTER. It smells of moldy, damp bricks. The old brick was exposed and is crumbling everywhere. Treacherous poorly maintained front steps. A piece of mortar fell on my pillow the other night, and that was far from the first time. Run by Coltown Properties - avoid.
Advice to the owners
Insulate; Drywall over the exposed bricks or consult a historic brick expert. Add insulation / increase heat capacity. Improve field manager's communication / hire more staff to manage.
Some good, mostly bad
Pros
HVAC is quiet and efficient (split system); appliances are new; quiet; chill neighborhood; close to 1 train, a place you can exercise outside by the water, good restaurants; laundry in unit; stays cool in the summer on its own; big windows with lots of ventilation possibility
Cons
Unlivable with terrible leaks, plaster falling from ceiling, water leaking through bricks spreading white brick dust everywhere; management (Coltown) is slow to respond and dismissive of severity; we don’t even have USPS set up after 2 months of living there due to management not setting it up correctly for USPS; brick inside is crumbling even without leaks since they weren’t properly sealed or pointed; there’s a mold smell and smell of wet brick; no live-in super; poor cell service inside; installation of new appliances was sloppy (fridge is out of level; microwave display malfunctioning; medicine cabinet cracked on move-in); management makes lots of mistakes: my first payments were wrongly credited to my neighbor’s account and if I didn’t bug them repeatedly they wouldn’t have noticed or fixed it; loud bathroom fan without timer and connected to horrible bright light; crumbling exterior steps are steep and treacherous, down which you have to go to throw out trash; wood floor warping due to prolonged moisture / leak problems that went unfixed for months.
Advice to the owners
Fix the leaks and make the units habitable BEFORE you put it on the market for tenants to move in. Seal the brick. Fix the mailboxes. Offer better bathroom fans. Fix the front steps. Respond to your tenants complaints promptly and with seriousness.
/-73.951686,40.822432,14/640x640@2x?access_token=pk.eyJ1Ijoib3BlbmlnbG9vIiwiYSI6ImNsYjNmMjVwdzBjeHgzd21wYmJmZDB0eGYifQ.XZvZCOh51yXuDBE-I3Bg0A)