Apartment Review for 518 E 80Th St Co Llc - New York, NY

The pros: Huge studio with interesting architecture in the heart of Upper East Manhattan. Courteous and responsible super who does what he is supposed to do and prompt to respond. Below average price for the location and size, and this is also where the cons start: The apartment was given to me in an offensively dirty state plus a prospering roach colony in the kitchenette. I had to bleach wall-to-wall. Neighbors were complaining of roaches and mice despite the biweekly exterminator visits. You'd often feel a mild smell in the entrance. Basically building is old, run down and needs renovation, well, including that pre-war decor. The landlady/manager has a rather disturbing rapport. She threatened me that there was an alleged "cat odor" in my apartment and that I better clean up before I leave - I did not receive that well recalling the state that I had found it in; and enough said. During this time her realtor brought clients without prior notice, who finally one day just put a key in and opened the door on my morning coffee. Lastly, she held my deposit for 2 months while I waited with good faith, to find out a belligerently stated reason that she had not gotten a prestamped envelope. When I reminded she could pick up the phone and ask for one (why, by the way?), response was whether I had left contact information in certified mail. She doesn't have the slightest idea that you are a patron and she is serving you. Bottom line: You pay $1600 a month for such business practice with a disconnect between supply and demand as in Manhattan. Nonetheless, it is a livable and pretty space if you are clean and smart enough to keep the pest out and if you are resilient enough to deal with an ill-tempered New Yorker.