Horrible management and ongoing maintenance issues
Pros
Good location. Below market rent (see cons below for why). That's it.
Cons
Landlord called and threatened me verbally after I reported them to 311. Otherwise they are not responsive to any issues, never giving any updates as to if or when things will be fixed. When they do respond they will show up without any prior warning, so if you're not home then the issue you've been waiting for will continue unfixed. They never hired experts to fix anything, always someone within the family. Ceilings leak water when it rains. Heat is sporadic during the cold months and is controlled by one tenant for the entire building. Heat is on during the summer. Roach issues. Took them 3 years to fix the broken front gate door knob that rusted off. Trash gathers on sidewalk and nobody cleans it. No trash bags in the outside bins. Top floor apartment had one outlet for the entire living room. If there's a tripped circuit, the circuit breaker is in the locked basement that you don't have access to. I could go on. Do not give these people your money. The place was below market price for a reason. Stay far away
Advice to the owners
Instead of immediately turning over an apartment to make money, fix all underlying issues first. Don't threaten tenants.
Building decay and severe maintenance issues
Pros
- affordable for neighborhood - “shared” backyard - location
Cons
- the building is crumbling and there is little/no maintenance undertaken by the landlord. For example, I have a leak in my ceiling that periodically pours water into my living room. The landlord has inspected the leak and refused to repair it. - there are both American and German cockroach infestations. The landlord does not provide extermination services. - the heating system is as old as the building. It runs on oil and is inefficient and unpredictable. If the landlord forgets to purchase oil for the building there is no heat/hot water. The landlord refused to fix the system when it broke in 30° weather over the winter. The apartment went over 24 hours without heat or hot water. - the heating system also turns on in the summer for no reason and there is no way to shut it off. The heat comes on regularly on 90+ degree days. - the windows provide little/no insulation. This means that the apartment is freezing in the winter and boiling hot in the summer. The landlord does not care to upgrade the windows to 1) provide comfort for the tenant or 2) better insulate the house to prevent heat or air conditioning from escaping - the Mail is unsecured. Multiple packages have been taken from this apartment. The landlord refuses to upgrade mailbox to accommodate tenants. - any/all repairs to the building are done by people unqualified to perform the jobs. My sink was “fixed” when it leaked. However a qualified plumber would tell you that the landlord “fix” is inadequate. The pipe needs to be replaced and instead the landlord attempted to seal the leaks.
Advice to the owners
The apartment is borderline uninhabitable. The vermin and maintenance issues do not provide sanitary living conditions. The owner needs to invest in.m building maintenance.