CITI HABITATS

Note: CH are a mix of employees and independent realtors. Employees use titles like 'Managing Director' so they sound important. Recent changes to NY law means independents can no longer call themselves a 'VP' of anything - sweet. We dealt with Katherine Duclos, independent, representing the owner of a rental. When we asked for help with some issues (detailed below) and got a crazy response, basically a torrent of insults, very unprofessional, ignoring many aspects of renters rights (right to repair, and landlord's responsibilities). I don't think she's a great realtor. Maybe she's great on your side, but for us, not so much. When we complained to Eric Hamm, a Senior Managing Director, asking whether he thought this response was acceptable, we received no apology of any kind. Rather he deflected and essentially ignored the complaint. So, it is OK to treat customers this way? Judge for yourself. Details below. Enjoy. We love the CAPS. Note: I was wrong about the flooding. it was a broken standing waste drain. So, glad we got a plumber in and sorted it out! All sorted with the owner (X), and she is nice. -----Original Message----- From: Paul Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2013 7:55 AM To: Katherine Duclos 3. I doubt that you (Katherine) want to play the middleman when we encounter issues the Super cannot attend to. Whilst I am happy to work through you, does X have a preference on how we address issues? We have 2.... X IS A VERY NICE PERSON SO BE NICE TO HER. IF A DRAIN IS BACKED-UP, CONTACT THE SUPER. IF THE SUPER CAN'T HELP YOU THEN CONTACT X. IT IS CUSTOMARY THAT IF THE SUPER FIXES A PROBLEM FOR YOU THAT YOU TIP THE SUPER; YOU MAY NOT DEDUCT THE TIP FROM THE RENT. YOU HAVE RENTED IN A CO-OP BEFORE SO YOU KNOW THE ROUTINE.... BE RESPONSIBLE AND DON?T BE SO CHEAP THAT YOU LOOSE SIGHT OF YOUR RESPONSIBLITIES. 4. Problem 1: The sink/hand-basin in the kitchen has a leak around the drain. I can't tell if it can be repaired/sealed or will need replacement (drain or sink unit). CONTACT THE SUPER -- IF THE SUPER CANNOT FIX IT CONTACT X. 5. Problem 2: The faucets and shower/tub selector over the bathtub all leak badly causing water to run along the tub top and flood the bathroom floor. I fear these need urgent attention. Again, I can't tell whether they can be repaired or need replacing. With some fiddling and careful adjustment we can stop the flooding, but they will may let go completely eventually and I am not sure how long they will last before we have a serious problem. I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE YOU NOT TO BE OVERLY DRAMATIC. THE SHOWER/TUB SELECTOR DIDN'T FLOOD THE BATHROOM WHEN I WAS THERE WITH THE CLEANING WOMAN SO I AM SURE THEY ARE NOT FLOODING THE BATHROOM NOW. PLEASE BE SURE TO USE A SHOWER CURTAIN CORRECTLY. IF IT IS NOT A SHOWER CURTAIN ISSUE: CONTACT THE SUPER AND IF HE CAN FIX IT, TIP HIM POLITELY. IF HE CAN'T FIX IT TALK TO X. BE NICE BECAUSE SHE IS NICE. IF YOU ARE JUST LOOKING FOR A WAY TO UPGRADE THE KITCHEN AND BATHROOM FIXTURES WITHOUT ENCOURING ANY COST, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO REMEMBER THAT YOU HAVE RENTED A 1 BEDROOM ON 83rd .. ? IT WAS PRICED SO GENTLY BECAUSE IT HAS NOT BEEN RENOVATED. YOU CANNOT EXPECT IT TO HAVE THE FINISHINGS AND QUALITY OF A MORE RECENTLY RENOVATED, MORE MODERN UNIT IN THE SAME AREA AS THE PRICE WOULD BE CLOSER TO $3000/MONTH. So, long story short, I believe we need a plumber. YOU DO NOT NEED A PLUMBER. See question 3... I can arrange for a plumber (and any other issues we encounter) through the Super and simply take the cost off of the rent, etc. but obviously, this is up to the owner. I AM SHOCKED THAT YOU ARE 2 DAYS INTO THE APARTMENT AND ARE ALREADY FIGURING OUT WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR RENTAL PAYMENT. SHAME ON YOU. The Super says he does handyman stuff, so he may be able to help, but again, not FOC. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT FOC (free of charge) IS. CONTACT THE SUPER. I AM JUST AROUND THE CORNER AND AM MORE THAN WILLING TO PROTECT X'S INTERESTS THROUGH THE DURATION OF YOUR TENANCY. Please let us know. Regards Paul P.S. Katherine, I wanted to apologize if you felt I was rude to you on Sunday. YOU WERE VERY RUDE. NO PLEASE. NO THANK YOU. JUST DEMANDING TO BE GIVEN THE KEYS. I AM BEGINNING TO REGRET PUTTING YOU FORWARD AS PROSPECTIVE TENANTS AS YOU SEEM AS IF YOU WILL BE INORDINATELY DIFFICULT. X IS A VERY SWEET PERSON AND I FEAR THAT YOU WILL RUN RIGHT OVER HER. We asked and were informed it was fine to collect the keys anytime Sunday. Therefore, you received a firm "no" when I was asked to change that arrangement. YOUR "NO" WAS NOT FIRM IT WAS ARROGANT -- ESSENTIALLY YOU WERE PUSHY AND BEHAVED MOST RUDELY. I WOULD HAVE WITHHELD THE KEYS UNTIL MONDAY AT 9 AM EXCEPT OUR RECEPTIONIST IS PREGNANT AND I DIDN'T WANT HER TO START HER WEEK WITH YOU. Apologies if there was a miscommunication, and in most circumstances I'm polite. I WONDER, REALLY; BASED UPON YOUR EMAIL I THINK THAT YOUR BEHAVIOR IS STANDARD

I have no complaints about the services provided. The only problem is the cost: 15% of the annual rent. When you consider the price of NYC housing, that translates into big $$$. To be fair, 15% is the going rate in NYC. My advice is to take the time to do some looking on your own if you possibly can. Many buildings have their own sales reps and if you can find something on your own or through one of the in-house reps you'll save a bundle. Having said all of the above, if money is no object or if you're in a hurry, I'd certainly recommend CitiHabitats. They do a good job, but like I said, they're pricey.

They were very helpful. They were very good about taking me to see some apartment. They were very professional. They answered my questions, and they didn't try to push me toward any particular one. They worked with me to find what I wanted.

It started fine and has gone south. Sandy was at first quite accommodating, having his assistant show us the apartment when we wanted to, and then even a second time when we wanted to show relatives. When we said we wanted the place, he clearly explained the procedure. We needed to come into his office, fill out an application form, pay a deposit of $300 in cash, and wait to see if we passed the test (credit check, etc.). If the landlord wanted us, he explained, we'd be asked to come in and sign the lease, and the deposit would be returned. All was clearly explained and politely done. We quickly went in, paid the deposit, and gave them the information they wanted. We assumed that we could work out the details later. During the application procedure (which lasted only a couple of days- they were efficient) a potential problem came up with our history, and Sandy helpfully solved the problem. We also made it clear that there were a couple problems with the apartment (safety issues that needed to be solved), and he assured us it would all be taken care of. Within a couple of days, Sandy wrote us a note saying to come in and sign the lease. I said that we still want the place, but would not sign anything unless the promised repairs were done. He was unresponsive for a couple of days, but then told us that the superintendent would take care of all the issues, and that we had better sign or we could lose the apartment (and the deposit). We would get 150 back at signing (300 deposit minus 2X the application fee). We believed him, went in, and signed the lease. His co-workers did not give the deposit back when we signed. When we called Sandy later, he told us we should go back to the agency to get it. We asked that he send it to us, given that we had already gone in and it is far from where we live. He impolitely said it would be "inconvenient for me" to send us a check, so regardless of the fact that we have two kids, no after school care, and had been told otherwise, if we wanted to get our deposit back, we had to come get it. We reluctantly agreed, and set up an appointment. When my wife came back several days later, it was raining, the office was locked, and she waited outside for ten minutes. When the secretary came and opened the door, she first took the time to fight with another furious, soaking-wet client. After the first client stormed off, my wife asked about the money Sandy assured us would be there. She shrugged, said she didn't have it, and told us to call Sandy. We have now left seven or eight messages, but Sandy has not called back. Meanwhile, it is the fourth of the month, we are paying rent, there are no window guards, we do not have a phone number to plan a move-in time, and all they can do at Citi Habitats is give us Sandy's voice mail.