Great Super & Location — Thin Walls & Pest Issues to Consider
Pros
1. The building is clean and generally well maintained. The unit itself is spacious. 2. Rent-stabilized. 3. The location is ideal for daily living, close to grocery stores and restaurants, and the pizzeria next door is one of the best. It’s about a 7-minute walk to the subway station. Half-price prepared food after 6:00 PM at H Mart is a big plus. 4. One of the best supers we have had, very responsible and always tries his best to fix issues and keep the apartment tidy. (However, the management and some tenants make his work extremely difficult.)
Cons
1. The building is poorly constructed. The walls and ceilings/floors are paper-thin, you can hear everything, even when a neighbor drops a pin or flushes the toilet. The wood floors make extremely loud squeaking sounds. You may receive a lot of complaints from neighbors or hear frequent stick-pounding from sensitive, low-tolerance neighbors living directly below. Mold develops easily in the bathroom. 2. Cheap management: a. They would rather fix things repeatedly than replace them. b. They wouldn’t turn on the heat until multiple tenants filed complaints with 311. There are many vulnerable residents (young children and seniors) in the building. We experienced no heat during a cold wave. 3. Pest and rat control: Flies and roaches are seen throughout the apartment during warm weather. We once spotted a mouse in the apartment. 4. Tenant quality varies: People are generally nice; however, some residents litter and leave unwashed meat packaging in the recycling bins. It’s nice to have laundry in the building, but the machines are often all occupied by one person at a time. Also, keep in mind your lease will likely state that 80% carpeting is required in the unit.
Advice to the owners
Please stop cutting corners and overworking the super.