Pros:
A short walk to the Dekalb subway stop. The Super was responsive and helpful.
Cons:
My partner and I were the first ones to live in apt 3R after it was remodeled. It looked decent on the outside (fresh paint, new appliances, etc) but, there were definitely underlying problems. We had an improperly wired thermostat, so when the heat first came on, it was stuck on 90F...It was fixed, but it took a week. Similarly, the gas oven hose wasn’t secured properly, so there was a gas leak. A month or so later, the gas stove spontaneously sparked one night while we were sitting on our couch. We went over to inspect it, and 2 of the 4 burners no longer worked. It was a brand new oven. The super sent a maintenance person over to check it out the next day. But, he said it couldn’t be fixed, so they ended up sending us a new one. Then, in May, the first floor apartment caught fire. Luckily, no one was injured. But that entire apartment was gutted. The fire department smashed windows in our & neighboring apartments for ventilation. They remained boarded up through the remainder of our lease (July). There was smoke damage throughout the building. They said the cause of the fire was an unattended space heater, but I feel that entire building has faulty wiring. Also, the tenants in the first floor apartment had lived there for 20+ years, and had subsidized rent. We think the management company was trying to push them out. We weren’t planning on staying/ renewing the lease after all of this, and especially not after we received the renewal and read that they were raising the rent. Clearly, for R.A. Cohen & Associates, profit and cost-cutting take precedence over the lives of tenants.
Advice to owner:
I have no advice for R.A Cohen Associates. Instead, I hope someone finds this helpful when considering this building. I’d advise against renting an apartment here or any other building they own.