Nice Building, Dishonest Management
Pros
-The building LOOKS nice, and inside the unit itself we had pretty much zero issues. The appliances were fine, the aircon units worked fine (for the most part) -It's a nice location -You don't hear your neighbors in the building, the bar across the street can get a bit noisy and sometimes block parties down the street are loud
Cons
The main problem with 533 Park Place is flooding, which was a safety concern due to chemicals and exposed wires in the mechanical room which is connected to multiple units in the basement, plus a gas leak that nearly caused the building to explode over Christmas. -HAZARDS AND FLOODING - which comes from the electrical unit/storage room in the basement area EVERY TIME IT RAINS we and the other downstairs unit would get upwards 3" of rain throughout the unit. Severe flooding happened 6 times in 2024, and apparently happened to the previous tenant--we assumed the big flood that hit all of Brookyln in 2023 was what that tenant was concerned about--but no. In the summer, when it rains, it floods from the electrical room into the unit. 311 inspectors told us the conditions were dangerous because of the loose wires in the room where the sump pump is, and chemicals that spill from the room (it's a mess) we haven't confirmed mold but it smells pretty awful. -Each time it flooded we couldn't get in touch with management, and all tenants downstairs worked together to clean the mess. Management compensated us for our time, so be sure to demand that if you're stuck digging yourself out of water. -The water is likely not sewage but we aren't sure. 311 inspector said it likely came from the roof, which would explain why it was mostly black. -We called 311 after the 5th time management didn't help us. They sent a cleanup crew once, but like we were threatening to break the lease at that point. We spoke to an attorney who said we had grounds to, but by that time it wasn't worth paying to get out. -We supsect Management knows about the flooding issue but won't solve it because the tenant turnover enables them to increase the rent each year--it's technically rent-stabilized. MANAGEMENT -It's impossible to get in touch with the building manager sometimes. The excuse is observing Shabbat, which means you can't be on your phone or do work--no problem I am Jewish too I get it, but you need to find coverage because if a flood happens during Shabbat, or if tenants are in danger, the building management is still responsible. The neighboring building and other tenants have had this same problem with the building manager--maybe he's spread too thin--I blame the owner. Hire more people, hold your people accountable. -Building maintenance swept berries and leaves under the fence into the back yard of our unit -Entering our unit without permission to show apartment -The unit has historically been listed as 1R, 1B, and by other numbers, we suspect because management is trying to hide from bad reviews for 533 Park Place. -Management has been consistently unresponsive and unprepared for the flooding issue--they continuously ignored our requests for mold inspection and for someone to actually resolve the flooding issue--this is why we left. Concerned for our safety, concerned for yours too, if you decide to live here. --PESTS There's a mulberry tree in the trash area that drops an unfathomable amount of berries all over the yards, which attract flies and rats from outside the property. The berries are edible, but they are difficult to clean, and management does not clean them. In the summer you can't enjoy the back area because there's just flies everywhere, and the rats make their way from other yards to the trash area, sometimes die in the back yard because an exterminator lays traps every sunday... and just kills the neighbors' rats which YOU get to clean up. Dead birds also end up in the back yard, I suspect from eating berries near the rat traps. --Inside the unit, barely any problems with pests--it's the back yard area. --the back yard also gets covered in algae in the summer, which gets slippery. be careful. --But wait, there's more. The back yard doesn't have great drainage, so when it rains, you get huge puddles. PRIVACY -Get curtains because the people at the bar can see EVERYTHING. That fence doesn't hide much. -Next door neighbors grill often and the smoke drifts into the yard, into the unit if you leave the window open, and the smoke alarms are a pain to turn off. LOCATION -Someone was fatally shot right outside the building. Isolated incident, nothing to do with management, but just made a bad year even worse for us. -Generally pretty quiet for brooklyn, but in the summer there are some neighbors down the street who played music so and throughout the night--sounded like a frat party. -If you don't lock the fence door, everyone has access to your unit.
Advice to the owners
We've given all the advice in the world about how to handle this situation. I have nothing else to say.
Great building, modern amenities
Pros
Apartment was well-kept, had no issues with apartment throughout time living there. Street noise was louder than preferred and right across from a school. Modern amenities including dishwasher and washer/dryer in building that worked.
Cons
No elevator in building
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