So it seems that there is a little negativity surrounding this blog. Justifiably so.
But if every morning, you walked out and found piss, feces, garbage, rotting food, broken beer bottles, and the like, you'd be a little negative yourself.
What is the purpose of this blog? Just like I said in the inaugural post - to make sure that people know what they could be getting into when they think of renting here.
I rented here because I wanted to be close to the park, with my girlfriend, and live in a place that wouldn't break the bank. My studio costs nearly $1,000/month and is not rent stabilized. You call that cheap? Maybe compared to Manhattan. But I feel sorry for the person who has to pay more for it next year!
When I came to check the place out, there was no trash in the lobby, nor were there feces or urine in the hallways or steps, or bums sleeping wherever they pleased. While I thought the place was certainly not perfect, I never imagined it would be like this. I rented it so quickly because I was tired of seeing places around the park for hundreds of dollars more a month and not being nearly as nice. I was afraid that something I thought I could get would be rented from under my nose. I'll be the first to admit that the inside of my studio is very nice.
I realize the landlord has little power to correct the conditions here. I'm just warning prospective tenants who were once in my position to stay out of this place and however much another building charges for rent, it's worth it.
I have no hate for Brooklyn or PLG. I realize the parade post was off-topic and have since removed it. There are many nice people I've in 10 Midwood. Nonetheless...
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11 comments:
So which is it??? The LL can't control things (as you say today) - or the LL is a Slumlord as you say earlier in the blog.
If the LL is mostely powerless (you are probably right btw) - all this blog is doing is potentially scaring off good tenants who might help clean up the building leaving the LL with the choice of losing $ or renting to more human garbage.
Why not dedicate the blog to helping clean up the building instead of helping to make the building worse.
I live in a different building in the area managed by Lincoln Realty, and the landlords fault or not, these things need to be said. The management company is a joke, our building is bug infested with a huge bed bug problem and all of my calls (daily for a while their) go unanswered.
Even if the landlord can't do much they need to know how terrible this management company is.
As for a more positive outlook on this blog or helping in the building. Doesn't the management company hire someone to clean and maintain the buildings? Good Tennants shouldn't move into such an expensive building with no upkeep. They can find better. 10 midwood has every right to broadcast the reality of this living situation, hopefully it will change things, if it doesn't you can't say they didn't try.
Do you know who your landlords/management are (I believe they are one and the same, just different corporate entities)? They are Besen Associates/NYC Management, 381 Park Ave South, Manhattan, and they also own 50 and 64 Lincoln Rd., and 2121 Beekman near you.
I fail to see how a $1000/month studio is not rent-stabilized. They must have told you that you are paying a preferred rent and that the legal rent is reall over $2000 and, hence, non-stabilized. In order to get the rent up to that level, they must have lied mightily about the major capital improvements they put into the apartment -- seriously, how much money can you spend on a studio. And I know the quality of their renovations, too, so I'm sure it cost much less than they claim. Contact the NYCDHR at 718-739-6400 to verify this.
And they claim to want to attract "upscale" tenants, but treat them like crap once they've m oved in. My former company used to list their apartments but stopped because we had so many problems with them being unresponsive to tenant problems and even threatening tenants who complained.
I just want to say thank you! I was about to go view this building for a prospective apartment rental, but by chance I figured I would google the address first, and after reading this there's no way I'll take time to go see it - though now I am curios in a horror show way. Its unfortunate you have to deal with all that, but good luck and hopefully this will teach your land lord to leave the place the way it is!
dude for starters its not that bad. how long have you been living in brooklyn? if you want a super plush building double your rent and move to park slope. i could care less about some trash in the hallway....piss is a little much though. find out who you need to call to get someone held responsible for that shit. get management scared or whoever it is that needs to take care of the problem (its in your written lease that things like that need to be resolved). blogging is not going to do much. its like if there is a leak in your apartment and you just blog about it instead of calling the super. dont expect the place to be soda can and crumb free though, i mean this is brooklyn and a pretty affordable hood at that. i have seen just as bad trash probs in the taaffe lofts right near pratt (studios are $1,600 there), not to mention some strange guy pulling a knife out on my roommate right in front of our apt door, our next door neighbors smoking blunts in the hallway and blaring hip hop with there door open on a tuesday night and the landlord saying we did not pay rent when we had the documents to prove it (that got resolved)! my buddy got a needle pulled on him right outside his apartment building in bushwick, another friend of mines building has mad break in problems another a huge bed bug epidemic. my last place i killed about 7 mice in 2 weeks. shit can be a lot worse man, get on peoples ass about cleaning up pee or whatever the major problems are. maybe call a health inspector or something. put the pressure on to make your building nicer for everyone, blogging is not going to do anything. Also be a little more optimistic, i mean how much time do you spend in the hallway a day and how much time does it take you to write blogs complaining about it? if you got the funds to move up than you should do it, PLG is not the upper west side, but IMHO it is one of the nicest hoods for the cost of rent now a day.
Mark,
Thanks for the comment.
Nevertheless, I feel that you may have missed the point of this blog. I know certain landlords will not be moved to action by this blog. These fine folks are not my concern anymore. Fighting them is an pointless battle. They will continue in their current manner of management long after I decline to renew my lease.
The point of this blog is to warn people not to move in so they don't experience this third-world apartment building. Surely, there are worse places to live in Brooklyn. But why live in a place like this if you don't have to? PLG is a neighborhood where you can get deals on rent, for sure. Just not in this dump. Every dollar one can spend on another apartment is well worth it.
Blogging can't do anything, you say? I've already received numerous emails from prospective renters who thanked me for exposing this mess and how after reading this blog, they refused to look at the building. I'd say it's working.
If I had the funds, I'd move. But the truth is, I don't, so that's not an option.
dude i live here, its not bad at all, for what I pay all my friends and myself think its totally nice. i mean you are scarring away potentially nice and friendly people who might want to live here. the only thing i will say is that sometimes there is stuff jammed in the front door so people can get in which i dont like for security reason so every time I come in or leave i check it and take the crap out, you should do the same, i am all for making the place better, but really it is one of the nicer places i have lived in, met many cool neighbors and the walls are built like a brick shit house so i never hear anyone but me in my apartment. the super is sometimes a little lazy addressing problems but my strategy for that is to be very straight forward, let both him and management know the problem and sound really concerned and things usually gets fixed within two days. i have seen bags of chips and stuff in the stairs in the morning but they are always cleaned by the time i get home. 10 midwood is an ok place to live man, thats my opinion. to all people thinking about renting, keep your mind open and check it out for your self.
If it makes you feel better, the giant buildings across from you (from whence I type) also suck and the landlord is a lying prick.
ha! i got a view of the giant building out my window, i dont know how much i would like it there just cause it is so giant and you would never get to know everyone. you guys got balcony's over there though, that is kinda cool, i just got a fire escape! anyway back to the topic at hand, i am enjoying 10 midwood more and more everyday! i really like this place, like my apartment, i like the people here, i like the hood, i like the friendly dudes at the bodega, the uber cheap chinese laundry lady who will turn around 2 weeks worth of laundry in 3 hours (smelling fresh and neatly folded) for $12! I am thinking about making a 10 midwood rocks blog!!! i can't believe people pay to live in park slope!
I agree Mark, there are a lot of good aspects of PLG - the cheapness of goods and services being the main highlight.
The drunken bum was sleeping in the third floor stairwell again both nights this week. I called the cops on him but apparently alcoholic vagrants are not high on their list of concerns because he had a two night stay. That is one of the negatives of living in a building with such poor security and a tolerance for crime.
I'm glad you like living here. I know you're a good dude. If you want to give props to the neighborhood and start a blog advertising the virtues of PLG, I wish you the best of luck. There are a few out there already and there is always room for more good work. If you write it, I shall read.
Nevertheless, people should know the facts about a potential new building before they decide if they want to move in.
I lived there 31 years in a stabilized 2 BR apt. The first 15 years was pleasent. All renters were screened and had to provide proof of employment and three character referrences form responsible citizens. The problems started when the Weinsteins turned over management to other parties I tyrned over the apt. to my older Daughter in Jan.2006
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