DO NOT move here into Apt. 1-B (newly gutted)
Pros
Good hallway lighting, nearby 24-hour laundromat, 2 low-quality supermarkets, 24-hour McDonald's.
Cons
Non-existent maintenance, ghost superintendents, NO response from leasing, including building management, on ALL complaints, only by phone (one switchboard number operator with an Indian accent taking only messages)NO reply via emails; they let tenants break maximum occupancy rules & regulations, never enforce the no smoking policy inside units, no carpets allowed for tenants, even though the lease contract stated you need to cover your wooden floors by 80%, NO heat(barely lukewarm)given during single digits brutal, freezing winter months, refused to fix our bedroom non working heater, no insulations in walls and ceilings makes our Apt 1 B unit inhabitable due to noise disturbances which turned into sheer, targeted harassment of entire 12 months lease yet management refused to intervene, investigate or mediate, had to pay housing court fees in Queens to get (4) HPD violations sorted, DO NOT Live in this building or any other ones maanged by Kew Gardens Hills, LLC or their old name of A&E management(look up their violation history online)most horrific rental we have ever experienced in NYC. STAY AWAY. Trash must be thrown out a block away outside; imagine rain and snow bad weather? Just keep your house waste inside to stink up. The non-self-closing front unit door is a fire code violation, but the super we met twice told us it is fire safe; that is incorrect. The main top-lock mailbox is broken, creating a security issue because mail can be stolen easily. There are no security cameras, and the doorbell buzzer call box is so loud it is deafening. They refused to fix it for us. Windows may leak cold air or allow h air inside; please seal them yourself. NOT WORTH THE NOISE harassment from upstairs APT. 2A and APT.2B tenants have been harassing and targeting us throughout the entire 12-month lease agreement.
Advice to the owners
STOP RENTING OUR GROUND-FLOOR UNIT APT. 1 B, at 72-21 153rd Street, Building #44. You already have prior knowledge; this unit hasn't been habitable since the past tenants, who never stayed more than six months to a year. Our APT. 1B Unit has NO ceiling and wall insulation, low ceilings. We have been living with severe, constant noise harassment and disturbances for 10 months, and we signed a 12-month lease with you; it is the biggest regret on our part. NO one should be subjected to living with upstairs APT. 2A & APT. 2B terrorizing us 24/7, and you, as our landlord, refusing to intervene or mediate the noise issues with them is disgusting—your past HPD Violations in our APT. B unit, even though it was newly gutted, shows you do things on the cheap and that you don't care about anything other than taking our rent money. A non-self-closing apartment door is a fire-hazard violation; hot water reaching beyond safe temperature; a broken bedroom heater your maintenance refused to fix; a broken main mailbox that stays open when pulled, meaning all tenants' mail is unsafe! The wooden and tile kitchen grout and panels are defective, and ongoing HPD violations are disrupting our habitability in this 1B unit. Being deceptive and dishonest about the issues here with us as your unsuspecting new tenants is grotesque and hideous, not to mention illegal. New tenants in newly gutted apartments should never be forced to go to housing court and pay a filing fee to file their complaints, and to call 311 or 911 for the horrific noise disturbances and harassment we had to live with, thanks to your tenants in APT. 2A and APT. 2B directly above our unit.
If "We Don't Care" was a Landlord
Pros
It's arguably the cheapest place we have found in the area. Plethora of choice of public transport. In a safe street with good schools. Lots of (small) parks. Allegedly pet friendly.
Cons
The heat and hot water is controlled by the landlord. Their heaters and geezers are completely outdated and since we have been we have never seen any attempt at maintenance, only feeble attempts at fixing when tenants complain to 311 which was very often in the winter due to unexpected shut offs. They only just recently opened their Kew Gardens Hills (KGH) offices again after having them closed since covid20, even to the point where people have been scolded for trying to come in person when emails were not responded to. the hot water is very unstable and unreliable. everything is old in the apartments and only replaced if there is no way to fix it. and by the way, their idea of fixing something is taking a part from a vacant apartment to replace it with your non working part for an appliance. It's been almost a year since we have seen pest control. They were outsourcing and the company always told the tenants that the landlord wasn't paying them so they had orders to limit their service. As of this review there has been no intention to manage their landscaping which in turn is inviting pollen mosquitoes and such. They are not a handicap friendly apartment even though they have explicitly said they are. No ramp no elevators. Currently there is no super in the building since the last super left over 2 years ago. They are unresponsive to complaints. There's lead in the windows
Advice to the owners
Basic human decency. You wouldn't like it if any of these were happening to you and you had no control over them. You also wouldn't like it if rent was not paid due to all of these things happening. Continuously increasing rent while there is no tangible reasons in your services to do so is just theft.
/-73.81767,40.726917,14/640x640@2x?access_token=pk.eyJ1Ijoib3BlbmlnbG9vIiwiYSI6ImNsYjNmMjVwdzBjeHgzd21wYmJmZDB0eGYifQ.XZvZCOh51yXuDBE-I3Bg0A)
/-73.817417,40.726189,14/640x640@2x?access_token=pk.eyJ1Ijoib3BlbmlnbG9vIiwiYSI6ImNsYjNmMjVwdzBjeHgzd21wYmJmZDB0eGYifQ.XZvZCOh51yXuDBE-I3Bg0A)
/-73.81283,40.726789,14/640x640@2x?access_token=pk.eyJ1Ijoib3BlbmlnbG9vIiwiYSI6ImNsYjNmMjVwdzBjeHgzd21wYmJmZDB0eGYifQ.XZvZCOh51yXuDBE-I3Bg0A)