Trouble at Williamsburg's Rocket Factory?

1.

i recently talked to a tenant of this building - he was vacating his top-floor apartment, i was buying something from him on craigslist. it was a pretty nice place - expansive view, etc. - so i asked why he was moving out. he only said "my landlord is sketch".

2.

wow! drug activity in an SRO, who knew?

So are there more drugs in the hotel or in the Williamsburg lofts?

3.

wow! drug activity in an SRO, who knew?

So are there more drugs in the hotel or in the Williamsburg lofts?

4.

The stop work order was issued back in August, and was just lifted last week. See http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/OverviewForComplaintServlet?requestid=2&vlcompdetlkey=0000795673

While the management of this building is on the shady side, and most of the tenants are complete idiots, it's not a terrible place to live most of the time.

5.

Charming - about as upbeat as the Belt Parkway.

6.

Yes, both buildings are owned by the same landlord. This is not new news - the Times beat you to that last year. If you are an agent who rents their buildings, you have to go to the SRO hotel to pick up leases and drop off checks. I never felt threatened, but I also went in the middle of broad daylight.

I also rented the rocket factory, the sharp lofts, the other lofts they own at Morgan Ave., and I have to say there's zero correlation between the fact that they bought the SRO hotel and the fact that they convert lofts, so either pony up the connection, or stop trying.

that said, the rocket factory has been in trouble since it opened. it was, i believe, the first of their loft conversions, and let's just say there was a bit of a learning curve. tenants used to post sublet ads on craigslist with comments like "special feature, in-wall waterfall!" to address all the plumbing mishaps. now, that said, last i heard (but this was over a year ago when i was still working), they had prioritized rocket and had their best building supervisor on-site at rocket to deal with this stuff. so if the building is still problematic MORE THAN USUAL, I am surprised.

what i liked to say about sam and max (the landlords - it's the anglicized version of their given names, which is what you'll see in the property record) to prospective tenants was this: they're not bad people per se but they overcommit. BIG TIME. it's not even outright greed, it's biting off more than they can chew. they are not organized. they do things like hire an observant carpenter to do work on a building that has to be done by october, somehow forgetting that there's no way the guy can work more than 5 days due to all the holidays.

i know tenants who had no problem with them. i know tenants who had tons of issues with them and have sued. but i don't think they are outright EVIL. just bumbling.

7.

Yeah, one of my close friends moved in there shortly after it opened and had a ton of complaints - renovations never completed (for example, dangling wires where a light fixture was supposed to be, and no dishwasher), inconsistent heat, poor maintenance of the rest of the building, etc.

There were also numerous robberies in the building during the first year, due to locks often not working on the ground floor (one door was actually plywood closed with a chain and padlock). Plus, an unguarded construction site next door (by the same landlord) had scaffolding with ladders leading right to the (easily jimmied) windows on upper floors.

I heard that aptsandlofts was also no picnic to deal with either, but that's been reported many times on these boards.

8.

aptsandlofts haven't had the exclusive on that building in eons.

9.

aptsandlofts.com does not represent the Rocket Factory any longer. It has been an open listing for quite some time now.

10.

I rented a rocket factory apt from apts and lofts . Ex-broker is right--the landlords didn't seem dishonest or greedy, just in over their heads. Apts and lofts, however, was just dishonest. Flagrantly so. I spoke to many tenants in the building after I moved in and discovered we had all been told the same lies in getting us to rent the apts--from the gym that would be put in soon (it wasnt--at least it hadnt been when I moved out) to some smaller but still intentional whoppers such as the heating unit in each apt they claimed also was an a/c unit, making the purchase of a windo unit unnecessary. The agent--Josh-- had told pretty much everyone I spoke to that, and it was just a lie. (But who thinks to check when you look at apartments in the winter.) They also claimed the building was almost fully rented when it so clearly wasn't--routine dishonesty in the r.e. world, I know, but the all around experience of dealing with that company skeeved me out. Never again.

11.

this is all crybaby BS. the rocket is an amazing building. did they have trouble maintaining it at first, yes. big deal. these are NO FEE lofts, sick views, one of the most amazing roofs in the neighborhood with an elevator going right up to the roof. some scummy broker from 'apts an lofts' lied about amenities... theres a really big shock! duh, they have one of the worst reps in the hood. but these are shown by many brokers now and tenants will tell you that the building has gotten much better in the last two years. if you can find a better deal on a loft with amenities like this place near this location... please post on here so i can move there and not into rocket.

so what if the landlords office is at the hotel in gpt. what the hell does that have to do with anything? robberies at rocket..? can you please tell me where you are immune from crime in the city. my friend was robbed at gunpoint on the ultra gentrified LowerEastSide where a girl was shot point blank on Clinton st a little over a year ago.

get real people and save your tissues for some real problems. oooh your loft had some plumbing problem and the landlord didnt come out immediately to fix it? wow

12.

i always wanted to live in the rocket factory.. bc from the outside it looks really decent. so finally i made it inside with a broker - true the spaces themselves are quite nice, views great.

however, the condition the building is in: gross.
tenants seem to be: students (nothing bad about that but makes the whole building feel like a dorm)
roof top: dog walk. (for peeing and pooping - nice & convenient)

well. after some tough decision making, i "passed it up"