America's First Properties (AFP) and Lutheran Family Services (LFS) join forces to bring you the…read moreworst property manager and maintenance hack duo the world has ever known. Sally Howell might take the cake for the most incompetent person...ever. She loses rent checks, spends her days making event fliers, sends out emails that are pieced together bits of the English language, and will never, ever answer her phone when you call her. She has befriended the LFS clients who live in the basement and know everyone's schedules and business. She has a complete disregard for the lease agreement (ie. giving 24 hour notice before entering, allowing the basement dwellers to run a daycare out of it, telling said dwellers what is in our apartment, etc.) When something is not taken care of, it's because "LFS doesn't have the money to fix the building." The maintenance guy, Jay, is about as worthless as they come. He has to call real repairmen and describes what he is looking at as "thingy's." He's been working on a 3-stone high retaining wall for over a month and it still looks terrible.
The building itself could be a gem. It has an amazing history and will turn 99 this November. It was converted to apartments in the 80s and has NEVER been updated since. We lived in the penthouse; it was $800 a month. I have recently heard that they are trying to get $1200 for this unit. With the $300+ utility bills in the winter, your original 1980's penthouse will be $1500. The windows in all units leak like crazy. We tried for 14 months to have something done about them; nothing but some caulk that Jay promptly smeared all over the window when he dropped it was done. The exterior door to the roof was completely torn apart by the company engineer who told them the door was unfit for the space. It had remained that way for over a year when we left. Water STREAMS in the windows when it rains, bugs are all over (they spray once a month, that's right, monthly! and we set off our own bug bombs 4 times a year to no avail), and of course cold and hot air easily make their way in. You will be heating and cooling the stairwell and elevator shaft so make sure you budget for that. Jay is frequently on the roof "fixing" a/c units and other tenants with their friends climb the fire escape so make sure you have clothes on at all times and know someone is likely looking in your private space.
As for amenities, there are none. The code to open the door was shut down due to too many "shady" people entering the building. The system that buzzes the apartments has never been repaired, you get no gym, no in-unit w/d, no internet, no nothing. You will, however, get to share two washers and dryers in the basement and if you get to have the 401 parking up front, know that there are times that the front drive will be filled with police and fire trucks and they will not move for you. Speaking of police, in the time we lived in the building, 2 stabbings, 3 break-ins, and at least one domestic dispute. There are sooo many other spaces downtown that offer an immense amount of amenities, clean spaces, and managers who get stuff done. Don't waste your time with these guys.