Extremely difficult landlord — be prepared

I lived with my partner at 133 St James Pl for nearly three years. The owner of the building, Yvonne Mason, and her associates are some of the most unreasonable property managers I've ever encountered (and I've lived in over 10 apartments in my life thus far). Dr. Mason is extremely particular about the condition and maintenance of the apartments, which really does set her listings apart from the... [more]

I lived with my partner at 133 St James Pl for nearly three years. The owner of the building, Yvonne Mason, and her associates are some of the most unreasonable property managers I've ever encountered (and I've lived in over 10 apartments in my life thus far). Dr. Mason is extremely particular about the condition and maintenance of the apartments, which really does set her listings apart from the pack. However, this attention to detail is largely at the expense of departing tenants. As I was told during our move-out walk-through, there is no such thing as 'normal wear and tear' in her mind. If you bump the refrigerator and make a small dent in the door, you need to replace the entire door. If you scratch the stainless steel on the microwave, you need to replace the entire microwave. In every lease, there's a rider that specifies a $25 fee for every tiny nailhole you leave in the wall, and we had to pay $450 to patch a 1-millimeter chip on the underside of the countertop. Even if you're a meticulous tenant, be prepared to fork over some serious cash during move-out. While you're living there, you can expect extremely zealous enforcement of The Rules. During the winter this year, the landlord's agent would routinely round up any boots left out to dry in the hallways of our building, put them in a trash bag, and deposit them in the cellar. You'd think that this kind of judicious care of the common spaces would extend to facilities like the laundry machine, but you'd be wrong. We went for over 4 months without functional laundry last year — it seemed that the sense of urgency about shoes in the hallway didn't translate to major inconveniences faced by tenants. I know these experiences pale in comparison to what others may face in NYC, but I feel that it's important to share. Dr. Mason's listings are beautiful, but it comes at a price. [less]