Born and raised in Brooklyn, I have had the experiences of being a Renter rather then a Home Owner all of my adult life. Of course there are problems living in a property owned or rented, but when a person rents they have the abilities to call for assistance to either the Landlord or Property Managment companies. I have had a few management companies running the apartment rentals I've occupied and I truly feel that the best experiences I have had so far has been with the most recent company BrownStone Management. The property isn't of newer construction, I'm sure the building is over 100 years old however, I do not hold BrownStone Management accountable for the problems inherent to the property, I do however hold them accountable for the repairs, upkeep and maintenance of the property. That said I feel as though they try to exceed my expectations of getting those matters addressed and satisfactorily completed in a very expedient way . And so far they have done that. I can think of horrible experiences I have had with other management companies, none of which can compare to any experiences in regard to BrownStone's services. Being a member of my tenants council I can also speak on behalf of most all the tenants of my building. If we have a problem, we call, they answer, and take action. Very simple. None of the tenants had to use Yelp to Bash the company, just contact them and voice our complaints. That simple. Every other property management should take lessons's from this company. read more

I am very pleased by the repair work currently being done in my apartment to repair damage done by a major leak. The repair workers sent by Alex, are Juan and Yair. They are conscientious, professional, careful, kind and respectful. They work well together as a team and take pride in their work! Thank you Alex, Juan and Yair! Caesar Libonati 207 8th Ave Park Slope read more

I'm currently with the management group because my last management group prospect place llc decided they didn't have the time to do it anymore and they passed us along. I have been with them a few months and they are the worst. Vincent is our point person this man doesn't answer text phone calls emails NOTHING it's like he doesn't even work at all... They basically send out invoices for things they don't do no one cleans the building. it's no point person to reach. I took down my bed hired a company to take out the bed and they charged me over $100 for something i paid someone else to do. I would tell anyone who owns a condo or brownstone DO NOT HIRE THEM I recieved vincent number from the office after sending numerous emails when i did get in touch with him he told me do not give out his number to any of the owners . How can you manage anything this way we can't contact you at all is ridiculous beware of the scammers read more

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My small Park Slope co-op building hired Brownstone about 4 years ago. Since then, every single communication with them has been aggravating and our financial situation has become much, much worse. Here are some highlights from our time with Brownstone Managment. EXAMPLE OF A TYPICAL EXPERIENCE At one point, I asked the JB (the owner) to cut a check for one of our annual bills, since the invoice was mailed directly to us by accident. All bills were supposed to be sent to, and paid by Brownstone. Considering their role, I figured this should have been a non-issue. We asked the owner what to do. After a snide remark, which is normal, he told me to mail the invoice to him. Great - I mailed the invoice. About a month later, we received a second notice regarding the invoice. I emailed the owner asking if they ever mailed the check. His response: "Don't think so. Suggest u handle." He couldn't even be bothered to type "you" or sign his name, let alone look into it or explain why he didn't do what he promised he would do. Remember, we hired Brownstone to pay our bills. This was their primary responsibility. COMMUNICATION I remember once dealing with someone else in the office, asking for some information about our mortgage lender. She promised to get the information to me the following Monday. I never heard from her, so I followed up a week later. After looking through dozens of emails to find one that included a phone number, I called the office, but found the extension in her email was not correct. I spoke with the receptionist and asked for her by name. Me: Can I speak with so-and-so? Receptionist: She's not here. Can I take a message? Me: Does she have voicemail? Receptionist: No. I left my message. The call was never returned. My followup emails about the call were also never returned. EXTRA CHARGES Charges for photocopies? Who charges for photocopies, you ask? Brownstone Management. PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS A unit in our building was being sold. The owners specifically asked Josh to stay out of the transaction, fearing he would do more harm than good and/or charge additional fees. In my opinion, a totally justified fear. The sale closed without any issues. Not too long after, another unit sold. During the sale, all kinds of problems came up we couldn't understand why. The transaction was WAY behind schedule and the new buyers were being EVICTED from their current apartment, with a 4-month old baby and forced to stay in a hotel for months. Then we received this email from Brownstone Management: "Board - Based on your direction, I'm telling folks who ask for information that we've been told NOT to do this work. This is sending unclear messages to buyers, lawyers, bankers, etc." So after one tenant told JB to stay out of their private transaction, JB decided to be a total prick in all future transactions. I don't know why, except for the fact that he's really good at it. CANCELLATION We tried to cancel our contract when they announced an 11% increase in their rates. They notified us a couple days before the renewal date of the increase. We asked to terminate within a week, (as soon as we got a unanimous vote from our board) but Brownstone said it was too late... the renewal date had passed. But to show how flexible they could be, the owner offered to end our contract with a simple 9-MONTH TERMINATION FEE. So with a 12-month contract, they were going to charge us 9 months in order to get out of a contract that had begun 4 days before. Eventually, we successfully cancelled our contract with Brownstone but during the transition, they didn't respond to the last several requests for information about our building finances. We're now managing our own books and trying to understand exactly what their service included. From what we can tell, our payments were mostly automated so paying our bills actually required very little, if any work. Although to be fair, Brownstone did cut 2 checks each month and as far as I know, they didn't even charge us for stamps. THE ICING ON THE CAKE Our building is now a financial disaster, especially after paying 10% of our total budget to Brownstone for 4 years. It's painfully ironic because now, our building does not meet Fannie Mea guidelines. Because of that... I couldn't refinance my apartment which would ultimately save my family about $200,000, despite having 800+ credit and sufficient income. MY OVERALL EXPERIENCE with BROWNSTONE MANAGEMENT Brownstone Management is easily one of the worst companies I have ever experienced. read more

The rent was reasonable but since they do not maintain and straight up ignore you, you'll end up paying in repairing and bills raised due to plumbing, electrical failures, etc. They do not care at all - to the point where it feels aggressive - and will take advantage of you. I suppose this is typical for landlords but I'm just saying on a hunt to find one that will not fail you, this is not it. read more

Brownstone has been managing our apartment building for several years now so shame on me for taking so long to commend their exemplary service, especially Ari Marks. Every management group should have someone as service-oriented as Ari Marks. We had a problem with our dishwasher suddenly not working. Within a week we had a new dishwasher. We needed to get a support bracket installed for our air conditioner. It was installed within days of being requested. We had guest coming for the weekend and needed a toilet seat replaced. It was replaced the next day, in plenty of time for the weekend! You could not ask for better service! read more

Worst management company I've ever worked with. Even a basic request for a copy of a lease is met with terrible attitude. Greg Doyley is the least competent or professional building manager I've ever worked with. He completely ignores urgent calls, time sensitive emails, and rarely even responds, if at all. If you try to speak with a manager of this company because the service you're received has been so awful you have no other choice, you'll be told one doesn't exist or you'll be ignored. When adding a roommate onto the lease even just trying to find out the steps necessary to do so was excruciating. Greg Doyley does not communicate in a professional manner. After speaking with a Landlord Tennant Lawyer because his take on my lease seemed so out of wack, it became abundantly clear that this "building manager" doesn't know or understand basic lease law. Oh, and a $450 fee mysteriously showed up out of nowhere when I was originally told there was none. Subsequent requests for clarification of the fee have of course gone completely ignored. The building front yard and hallways are filthy. In the entire year I've been there only once has anyone actually cleaned it and it took complaints to even get that. read more

Overall in the past few months, I have had a good experience with Brownstone as a management company. They have been responding to emails in a timely manner. With the recent snow, our stoop and sidewalk have been shoveled and salted quickly. Alex, one of the newer members to the staff, is very responsive, friendly, and professional when scheduling repairs. He is definitely a welcome and positive addition to the team. He seems very organized and always follows up. The man who has done our repairs (I believe his name is also Alex) is very professional, friendly and detail oriented. Our building can definitely use some very basic painting and renovating, but I don't believe that is a reflection of, or a decision that can be made by the management company. read more

Do not deal with these people. Reading through prior reviews, I had to laugh, because the word that comes up again and again is "pricks," and they certainly are pricks. Their prices are exorbitant, which might lead you to believe they have extensive experience dealing with the ordinary issues that arise for landlords who own one or two investment apartments. Not so. In confronting a problem tenant, Josh told me that he had never dealt with this kind of issue before. It was a run-of-the-mill tenant dispute. I was shocked. I can honestly say that I shelled out over a thousand dollars for nothing. The only time Josh was attentive was when he was demanding more money. I ended up doing most of the work myself, and even then, Josh tried to squeeze out more money, and had to gall to ask me to consider him to represent me in a future sale. Stay away. read more

Brownstone works was amazing! Ari was very responsive and detail oriented. Thank you to ari!

Brownstone Property Group is the best leasing & management company I've ever worked with in NYC and I've lived here for almost 10 years. After having another apartment fall through - with another typical NYC leasing company - Anne Darer was the first broker I met with for a new apartment and she was super accommodating, friendly, knowledgable and exactly what a real estate broker should be! She made paying the broker fee easy due to being super helpful and patient throughout the entire process - helping calm my nerves in this hectic real estate market. Once the lease was signed, Brownstone has been very helpful with any maintenance, following up about overall apartment wellbeing, quick with emergency questions and more - recommend them to any friends I have looking for apartments! read more

I am an absentee landlord...property in Brooklyn. Brownstone Management is the first property manager that I no longer have to worry about my property. It's like having a relative minding the store. if they say they will do it...it gets done and then they let me know....Outstanding communication...peace (and piece) of mind are worth paying for... That said they are not the most expensive but the service is sterling. ...and I like their hats. read more

By far, this is the worst company I've ever had to deal with. I had the unpleasant experience of living in a condo building managed by Brownstone for 4 years. Not only are they disrespectful, slow and incompetent, they make mistakes and don't take responsibility. I had to deal with both Anne and Greg, who on a number of occasions caused me to lose several thousand dollars. They were also disdainful and inhumane in their communications. The first instance - I needed them to process a tenant lease for my condo. They could've sent me an email outlining the process (e.g. This is our standard lease and here are the moving fees and the paperwork needed to complete this). Normally this takes a day or so. Their process took over a month and I almost lost my tenants. The second instance - I was selling my condo. They not only took weeks to process paperwork that should take days, they also asked the buyer to complete a coop application, and submit coop fees. When everyone involved complained (realtor, buyer, seller) saying they had made a mistake, they said nothing and finally processed the paperwork without an apology. I called Greg and Anne dozens of times when they wouldn't email me back. They answered my calls only TWICE in 4 years. When I did get a hold of Greg, I said "hey Greg, how are you?" He said, "I don't know, I guess it depends on what you want this time." I guess he forgets he works for the people in his buildings. This is not to mention billing issues, approval of my pet, and other preventable mistakes they cared nothing about taking responsibility for. Everyone in my building had had problems with them. But you can't get out of their management contract, so you're basically stuck with them. Whatever you do, DO NOT use Brownstone Management. They don't care about their customers, and will make your life impossible. read more

we had to call too many times to remind them to do their job, "sanitation expenses" are tremendously expensive compared to what they actually do. in short, there are other services that are easier to work with and don't gauge you on fees on the back end. read more

Brownstone Management generally gets back to us quickly and comes to fix our issues without hesitation. They communicate pretty well with us so that we know when/how to expect whatever we need to get done. We appreciate it a lot. read more

I read the many one-star reviews of Brownstone Management, and against all my better judgment went with them anyway. We needed someone to manage our two-family brownstone as we were moving out of the country. After fifteen months of headaches, we are finally free of them. There was almost nothing this company got right. On more than one occasion, I was able to manage things more quickly and efficiently from another country than Brownstone Management could do from two neighborhoods over. Requests had to be made over and over because they were either forgotten or completely misunderstood. Sometimes I just hired our old handyman to do things so I wouldn't have to deal with them, and yet we were paying them hundreds of dollars each month to "manage" our building. I tried for a full ten months to get one straightforward repair done. After pulling teeth to get an estimate, in the end they simply couldn't finish the job before we changed companies. This after I had spent countless hours, from December '13 to September '14, trying to get them to address the issue. My blood pressure used to skyrocket every time I saw an email from them. No more. Please spare yourself the agony of dealing with this company. read more

Brownstone Management has always been very quick to respond to emergencies and repairs. They always do the most they can to help. They've had the misfortune of working with my building owner (Sirin Monroe LLC, owned by Mallika Sukjaro, I believe) on Monroe Street in Bedstuy, h. She has been wildly unprofessional and irresponsible in how she deals with the tenants and building, in my opinion as a tenant. Despite that, Brownstone has always done the very best they could do to help me as a tenant where my building owner fell short! Thanks, Brownstone : ) read more

We have had a very good experience with Brownstone as the managing agent for our brooklyn 40 plus unit cooperative. Larry is super responsive,resourceful and a generally nice guy. Honestly they are one of the best mgt I have had over the past 15 years. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. read more

This is the first online review I've ever written, and I'm doing it because of how great the service has been that Brownstone has provided. They manage the apartment above mine and were doing some remodeling. Completely unrelated to their work, a leak developed from inside the walls of the building--a problem that had been developing for years and was going to happen regardless; it's just terrible luck that it happened when they were working. Of course, we all thought it was due to the work, so on multiple nights, Alex Romero came out multiple times each night, with a plumber to get to the bottom of things, each time thinking we'd solved it, only to find hours later that new water was coming. But Alex was relentless, professional, kind, and comforting. And even when, after enormous frustration, he figured out that the problem had nothing to do with Brownstone's work, or even came from the apartment they are managing, Alex stayed and continued to help. To say that he has gone above and beyond doesn't scratch the surface. I cannot recommend them enough. read more

As a home owner I am totaly satisfied with Brownstone Management. I had a very bad water damage and Anne Darer took care of everything for me, including meetings with the insurance company and the contractors. It's a real pleasure to work with such professional people. read more

Disrespectful, uncommunicative, slow to effect repairs. The heat has been off in the building for 6 days and the hot water will have been off for 2 (should repairs actually be completed tomorrow). When asked for an update on repairs to the building's boiler this evening, Anne replied by sending a "reminder" email noting that the contractor couldn't complete repairs today and that the hot water was going to be off both Thursday & Friday. However, the original email (sent this morning at 6:51 a.m.!) said no hot water only for Thursday and to "plan accordingly". The "reminder" email was sent at 9:44 p.m. - well past close of business and well past the time they would have been informed that repairs couldn't be completed. Unacceptable. Tenants should have been notified immediately and not only in response to a status update email. This is a continued pattern for them. They do bare-minimum work to maintain the building. They are disrespectful, uncommunicative and simply bad at their jobs. They misplaced a rent payment earlier this year and insisted that we prove that it had been paid. After months of hair-pulling and requested updates left via email and phone calls (which were not returned) the issue was finally resolved - an error by someone in their accounting department - and we were credited the amount. No apology was ever given. They must be very affordable. I can think of no other reason why anyone would hire them to manage a property. Do not do business with these people. read more

Summary: incompetent management company. Not just a little. Really incompetent. I'm amazed that they continue to have customers. Details: - Calls are never returned - They can't keep appointments they make - They can't keep track of the issues in our building that they need to assess On the bright side: my building is switching management companies. 10 months too late. read more

Our building is tip top and they're always responsive to whatever comes up. It's clear using Brownstone is way for a building to maintain and increase it's real estate value over time. Greg Doyley CPM, whose in charge of our building is always available, friendly, and knowledgeable; whatever the issue. He knows the area and the vendors for those times when you're building will need, this, that, or the other. read more

After years of working with Brownstone as a shareholder and board member I can no longer recommend their work or property management unfortunately. read more

Although I had some issues with Brownstone Management in the past. However, the latest development made me think those might be a misunderstanding and I am very impressed with how the customer service has improved. I actually sold my apartment in March and at the time of the closing the coop abatement was withheld and not credited back to me. I raised my concern to Brownstone, they explained that they are waiting for the fund to clear from the city. After four months, they told me that the city has credited my abatement and mailed me a check. Thanks for being so diligent and following up with the question I raised without being asked twice! read more

I have used the services of Brownstone Management for over a decade. The latest incident is a prime example of why. Late Saturday night, December 6, a tenant sent an email to me, the management company and other tenants informing us that he smelled gas when he came home and called the gas company. National Grid came over, found the source of the leak and turned the gas off. On Sunday morning I called Brownstone who contacted Alex who was on call that weekend. Alex arranged for a plumber to go to the building on Sunday afternoon. The plumber fixed what he could and returned Monday morning to complete the job. We could not arrange for the gas to be turned back on until Tuesday. Alex assured me that he would meet the utility representatives whenever they got there. In the meantime, he brought over space heaters to keep the tenants warm on a chilly night! Repairs were complete and service restored in two and a half days. The tenants and I were grateful for the diligence and speed in taking care of this emergency.. read more

Brownstone is a full service management company that offers comprehensive service. That said, our building found itself locked into using their services, which ended up costing us quite a bit of money for very little product. My suggestion if you are looking to use them as your building management company is to make sure your lawyer reviews your contract very closely before you sign on. When we wished to terminate our services we were threatened with legal action (the owner Josh is a lawyer) and were essentially stuck with them for a very difficult and stressful. Read the fine print and consult your lawyer--really. read more

If I could give zero stars I would. Our agent for our building in Brooklyn, from this management office, is the most unprofessional, rude, disorganized management person I have ever dealt with. The office is a mess, accounting is a joke and their bills are constantly incorrect. read more

Our building recently (within the last year) hired Brownstone to manage our 24 unit coop. Since they also provide handyman service I scheduled an appointment to have various leaks addressed (toilet, kitchen sink, etc.) Brownstone sent over their handyman Alex and he was great! Alex even went out of his way to fix a few other things gratis while he was over. Unfortunately, one leak returned very quickly and Brownstone was able to squeeze me in despite a horrible snow storm. Everything is working well now and I would definitely hire Alex again in the future. Thank you! read more

Absolutely atrocious experience! They managed our building for the past 3 years and we've never dealt with less professional people. Their accounting is truly worrisome, a simple maintenance charge statement from these people is somehow incorrect and different every month. They are highly unorganized and don't keep records filed for inspections. Their handyman services are a joke! Everyone who has tried them in our building (a few dozen apts) has done so only once. Completely reckless amateurs! It's impossible to fathom how companies like these stay in business... read more

Brownstone has been managing our 8 unit condominium for several years now. We have done a lot of work in the last 18 months, and it has been well managed by Larry. He finds fair contractors and follows up on their work. Our emails are answered immediately. The repair team of Alex and Alex are quick to respond; and do an excellent job. I have worked with many management companies in NYC, both good and bad. Brownstone is up there with the best of them. I would not hesitate to recommend Larry and the team at Brownstone. read more

I wouldn't even give them a Star but this site forces me to. While the manager of our building was really really bad, the problem i now see is very much TOP DOWN. The owner is so rude and unapologetic and has such bad customer service that I can not see giving any money to them because of him. They must really have unrealistic view of themselves to think people will stand for such rude and not very good service. My building is happy to move on from this relationship. read more

Both my husband and I have been renting apartments in NYC and Brooklyn for the past 20 years. In all of our years, we have never experienced such utter incompetence, disrespect, and negligence from a super, landlord, or management company (and we have had our share of doozies). Our apartment was delivered to us half painted and completely filthy and infested with pests. The hallways reek of cat urine and have not been painted in years. There are too many repairs throughout the building to even begin to name. When any request is made regarding a simple maintenance issue we are met with attitude and defensiveness. We often have to send multiple emails before we are ever acknowledged. After a recent visit from Brownstone's maintenance team, we found a trail of garbage on our floor that was haphazardly discarded and left for us to clean up. The kicker? Our baby was chewing on a large, sharp screw that was left behind. Lazy, unresponsive, irresponsible, difficult, argumentative...the list goes on and on. We are so utterly beside ourselves and thoroughly disappointed with the treatment we have received from day 1.We are some of the least confrontational people and we have found ourselves having to approach one Brownstone manager in particular (ahem, Anne) with some serious attitude in order to get any sort of feedback. And even then, we are given the run around...(think Kelly Anne Conway anti social style bullshit artist). Stay away from Brownstone. Stay far, far away! They will gladly take your money and run. read more

Brownstone Management's sign is placed on a fence at our condominium project. Behind that fence is a garden full of weeds that have never been attended to. The street tree's are fenced in to keep dogs out but they too are full of weeds. My flood insurance was not paid and a cancellation notice was sent to my bank and now they are charging me for flood insurance. Our foyer is almost never cleaned. They do manage to remove the trash on time but that seems to be the limit of their talents. Worst management company around. read more

Brownstone Mgmt has been managing my brownstone in Brooklyn for over 2 years. In that time, we have dealt with everything from non-paying tenants, major roof repairs, interior renovations, looking for new tenants, and everything in between. Josh and his team have always been responsive and on top of everything. They have taken care of all the issues with the utmost professionalism. I was in a complicated situation with the building initially but Brownstone Mgmt made the transition smooth and has alleviated much of the headache and stress in owning this building. read more

They have been marginally competent property managers. Case in point - it took them over two months to replace a refrigerator. They were 40% over budget. The fridge does not fit in the opening - so they cut away the counter top so the door could open. read more

I lived in a Brownstone Management property for five years, and was continually treated with disrespect. Everyone I communicated with was rude, when they got back to me, and most of the time, I had to send multiple (3+) emails and call multiple times (sometimes over the course of MONTHS) to get through to them, whether it was about serious and necessary repairs, renewing a lease, or anything else. When I did get ahold of the person who was allegedly our property manager, she would be vague, unhelpful, and disrespectful. We signed a renewed lease once and our property manager promised to email us a digital copy, which she never did, despite multiple requests. It took multiple months for them to fix a door that fell off of a closet (poorly affixed in the first place, and it fell off after a few years), and then when it fell over onto the floor and got damaged ( because it was not affixed and they took many months to repair it), the company tried to charge us for the damage. I had to re-send them their own email correspondences (multiple times) about the door in order to not be charged for damage that was clearly and demonstrably their fault. We always paid our rent on time, and were excellent tenants, and nonetheless it was constantly a struggle to interact with this company. I would not wish them on anyone.The only caveat is that the folks who work for Brownstone and do the repairs themselves are quite friendly and very helpful, unlike the management and all property managers. Unfortunately, these are not the only representatives of Brownstone that one has to interact with. read more