71-12 Sutton Street,

Brooklyn, NY 11222

I loved the size and layout of this apartment. It got a lot of natural light from both sides of the apartment and felt pretty airy. The location was nice too, only a short walk from McGorlick park and the farmer's market/grocery store. The live-in building manager is a fantastic, caring, and sweet person.

Problems were tolerable until suddenly they weren't. We had a sudden influx of huge waterbugs coming from every crevice in the wall/ceiling/floor. This likely stemmed from increased rain in the city, and a water pooling issue on the roof. It took a while to get the landlord to take it seriously. He relied on the idea that monthly extermination and clean spaces would eliminate the problem (waterbugs are mostly attracted to water, and cleanliness was not an issue for us.) This was finally addressed after many months of pleading for a full inspection of the building to find the source of water, and sealing access points. We had the same issue with mice. The landlord couldn't fathom that access points were the problem (which was evident because both infestations came on quite suddenly and were like a great tide.) After months of pleading, we discovered a hole in the basement, which was finally patched up around the time we had already decided we had had enough and planned on moving out. I was really frustrated with this whole experience because of the scapegoating and lack of accountability on the landlord's part (who lives in NE, not NY) and I had otherwise appreciated living there. Pests in your home are a huge psychological stress. When I moved out, I found copious amounts of mouse poop in all of my belongings, which indicates to me the infestation was worse than I knew.

Take your tenant's complaints seriously. Find a way to manage repairs/complaints in an organized fashion, and use the building manager as a liaison.

Building has three apartments total. Apartments are larger than typical in the Greenpoint or Williamsburg areas: three bedrooms + 2 bathrooms with the exception of the ground level 1 bedroom + 1 bath which was still a good size for a single or couple. Bedrooms are all good sizes with large closets. Living areas are large with room for dining tables. Ground level apartment gets their own private backyard. Lush green backyard brings pleasant scent into apartments especially on rainy days. Plenty of natural light to go around. Short climb to get to second or third floor apartments. While building does not have laundry there is a good laundromat around the corner on Kingsland.

Kitchens are teensy. Units don’t have dishwashers or microwaves. Building does not have laundry. Walls are thin so if your neighbor below or above you is listening to music or watching a movie you will know. We noticed weird critters with many legs and water bugs every so often and a mouse here and there. Closet doors were broken and never fixed by owner despite many requests. Owner is distant and unresponsive. There is no official superintendent or building manager. Locks are faulty and old on apartment doors resulting in lockouts and calls to a locksmith. Some windows don’t stay open by themselves and require propping with books. Street is unsavory with lots of dog owners never picking up dog poop. Neighbor once threw a loud party in their backyard on a Thursday night that was heard all around the block.

Update locks, windows, and closets in all units.