landlord is terrible
Pros
The building is okay and the other people living in the building are nice.
Cons
The landlord, Fouad Ellyaan and his dad Munzer are not the kind of landlords you want. They never returned our security deposit despite our apartment being in perfect condition. They're extremely wealthy and all they care about is getting more money.
Serious building construction flaws
Pros
Location is excellent with access to multiple subway lines and Prospect Park in a short walk. On move in, the building and unit seemed beautiful and well maintained (but please see cons for the reality).
Cons
I was forced to move out in just 2 months because of severe damage due to a burst pipe that also affected nearly every other unit below mine in the building. My landlord claimed that we left a window open during cold weather to cause it and refused to acknowledge various issues that have existed since the building's construction (see https://casetext.com/case/bd-of-managers-of-647-649-place-condo-v-647-649-wash-ave-llc). He never offered to speak with us, and we only communicated with him via email and his property manager. The absentee landlord Jyoti Cessna lives in Australia and in retrospect was clearly not interested in making prompt repairs to restore habitability, so despite waiting patiently based on his promise that repairs would happen quickly, we returned from temporary arrangements to move out our remaining undamaged belongings at the end of January. He eventually made it clear in a rude email that he felt entitled to profit regardless of what happened, and I had to fight just to receive any of the security deposit back. We had complained previously that there could be drastic temperature fluctuations within different parts of each room due to extremely poor quality drafty windows, PTAC units shutting off too early, and inadequate insulation. These complaints were ignored. The terrible windows are the original ones installed in every unit in the building, and in the case of my unit, the landlord had taped and stuffed socks in the window frames to stop drafts and water leaks (unfortunately, I did not notice until I had already signed the lease and moved in). I actually confirmed that at one point, one side of the primary bedroom was 56 degrees despite the other side being 70 due to the level of heat loss. While moving out I noticed a small roof leak forming in another room, and the bathroom heaters stopped working. I am leaving this review as a warning to others considering renting in this condo building because even in the unlikely case you have a more reasonable landlord, it will take time for all the necessary repairs to keep the building safe and habitable in the long run to happen. Note that most other rented units are owned by Fouad and Munzer, who are responsible for developing this building.
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