Likely Illegally Destabilized Building -- Raises Rent by Hundreds/Thousands of Dollars
Pros
I like the location, the fact that there is laundry in the building, and that there aren't a lot of units.
Cons
The apartments are the smallest of any that I've ever witnessed in Ridgewood but more expensive by hundreds of dollars. The landlord has likely illegally destabilized the entire building. I, along with the help of legal experts, have found that the destabilization is extremely suspicious and the gut renovations likely unwarranted. The landlord changed the apartment numbers, likely to make it difficult to find the rental history of the building. In the past two years, the rent for my apartment has been raised by over $2,000 and, for the lease renewal, the landlord tried to raise it by another 300. The kitchen is essentially non-existent. There is a small fridge, stove, sink, and a few small cupboards squeezed into a small hallway. The fridge is about 3/5 the size of a normal fridge. All of this for three bedrooms. There is no actual kitchen space it, itself. There are no hall closets at all and the closets in the bedrooms are extremely small which makes storage in the apartment virtually impossible. The half bath has no sink. The so-called renovation of the apartment is extremely unfinished. Door knobs coming off, dishwasher doesn't work, unfinished sealant on the tub, etc. Small bugs coming out of the hole not covered by sealant. The apartment is entirely too small for the price of it. Virtually every other classic apartment in Ridgewood is about half the price of this one and has double, sometimes triple the space. The consistent raising of the price, is actually infuriating. It also appears that the landlord has not had anyone come clean the lobby in months. Before the new management company took over, I would see a woman cleaning the lobby and stairs, periodically, but I have not witnessed evidence of cleaning in months upon months. The deliberate destruction of quality of life in Ridgewood for the sake of lining this man's pockets, is overwhelmingly lacking in integrity and disheartening. I would never have chosen this apartment if I had not been desperate to find a place to live after my last place fall through, a place that I had lived in for 7 years.
Advice to the owners
Do not raise the rent again. You have already raised it by $2,000 at the start of 2025 and by another $300 towards the end of 2025. The apartment is not worth that much and you know it. Put a lock on the mailbox in the lobby. Hire someone to clean the lobby. Put another washer and dryer in the basement. One of each is not enough for seven apartments. Put in the effort to put a full size fridge and appropriate storage in these apartments. The apartment still wouldn't be big enough or luxurious enough for you to be charging what your charging, but at the very least you'd be a little closer to justifying the current price. Slightly. Please keep in mind that you're literally displacing people. Destroying communities and forcing people out of their homes with these insane prices and half-assed renovations. Put in the effort to do and be better people.
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