Great Layout/Brownstone But Horrible Management -- Not Worth It
Pros
The layout of the apartment is great. It has the open living room/kitchen layout that makes the space feel homey, which makes it great for hosting. The water pressure is actually top-tier. The neighbors around the block are mostly homeowners and Tompkins Ave is right down the block.
Cons
It has been the WORST experience with a landlord I've ever dealt with and I grew up in NYCHA. The management company is one of the largest in the city (1000s of building across all boroughs -- they did some restructuring and https://whoownswhat.justfix.org/ only shows 70ish buildings). When I moved in, the back bedroom had huge holes from water damage because the backyard doesn't have a drain so if there's a rainstorm, the backyard floods. They had to replace the foundation because the wood beams rotted -- 3 floors were being held up by the walls because all the beams were rotten. So for the first three weeks, the apartment was a construction site (with no legal permits filed) where they had to weld the beams and replace the flooring. By the end of it, I hired a lawyer because they refused to provide any rent rebate despite all my things getting full of dust, half of the apartment was inhabitable, dozens of men coming in and out from 8AM to 6PM for 3 weeks, etc. Then, they refused to patch the holes on the wall and repaint -- I counted 90+ holes -- despite it being 3+ years since they had. Then came the winter... because they didn't seal the windows and the floorboards, you can feel a draft in every external wall. It is the most egregious in that back bedroom where (with the heater on), indoor temperatures were sub-60 degrees. As a consequence, the electric bill for the winter months were +$450 because if we didn't have space heaters, we'd have to be clothed for the winter in the apartment. When I complained about it to management, their initial response was to gaslight and then once provided with pictures of a thermostat, they took 2+ weeks to come and "fix" the issue. Every issue is basically met with hostility such that you end up so jaded that you only reach out when the problems are severe enough. Just to name a few of other things I just couldn't be bothered fighting about: the tens of rats (we're the only brownstone in the vicinity with a rat problem) scurrying around in the front and dying literally right at your front doorstep; the shitty laundry machines that ruin your clothes; the camera in the backyard and many more. TLDR: It's not worth it...
Advice to the owners
1. Treat people with respect and they will be more likely to reciprocate; 2. Fix issues without having to go through the dance of having to threaten to withhold rent; 3. Upkeep the building and you might even be able to charge more
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