Pasting my Google review here. The power has gone off at least 5 times after my last edit on 9/20, and it was usually without notice. I am not angry or disgruntled - the gaslighting, secrecy, and lack of accountability just needs to stop.
EDIT 9/20:
Electric went out with less than 1.5 h notice during the middle of the work day on 9/13. Water went out again today/has been brown. Top floors are on generators and smell. They are still touring apts. We are expected to pay rent and be positive. If you do not smile through every situation you are targeted by management + front desk. This place runs off toxic positivity.
Shoutout to Aliou for being the only kind person through all of this, and not allowing valid concerns to affect his ability to execute and welcome all - he is the BEST. Shoutout to the sanitation staff too.
They have employees reading reviews and targeting us with horrid middle school attitudes when we're only speaking on management. I would not be going so hard for a company riddled with incompetence, but that's just me.
EDIT 9/12:
Tenzin and Sarah are Urby employees, check their other reviews. Do with that what you will. They also do not live on affected floors. This was not a city-wide outage.
Kinjo has now closed due to the outage (restaurant downstairs) and was a beacon of light for the community. Management has not officially communicated that to us and are shutting our power off again for repairs so we have to transfer our food downstairs. They also are not allowing early lease breaking. We're trapped.
OG REVIEW:
I've lived at Newark Urby for nearly a year (on a 15-month lease), and while things may appear great, you don't want to be here during a crisis. Urby pushes residents for reviews as soon as they move in, but here's what you need to know about longer-term experiences.
First, we chose Newark Urby for its "luxury" living and amenities. One incident involved a fire caused by something flammable being thrown down the chute. As alarms blared, no one provided any real-time updates. It wasn't until hours later, after the fire was controlled, that communication came, despite residents having family and pets at risk.
Second, during a storm, the building suffered major damage. The basement flooded, elevators broke, and power/water were cut off. Residents were left to gather details by eavesdropping as management failed to provide clear communication. The next day, the building sent a delayed notice about the elevators, long after they were back up. Meanwhile, food spoiled, people couldn't bathe, and communication from management was scattered. Urby's solution? Ordering pizza after 20 hours, offering to refrigerate food long after it had gone bad, and providing minimal relief while enforcing access policies in common spaces, leaving residents with limited options to charge devices or work. Five days later, water returned, but our unit is still experiencing issues, and the building now reeks, with trash chutes, grills, and the gym's AC non-operational.
I spoke with the new property manager, Lucie Liskova, who promised a $150 credit per person for lost groceries (not reflected on the rent statement) and help finding a temporary placement at Harrison Urby. However, when I followed up, she said they were prioritizing families and pets. Despite mentioning I have a pet, she made a dismissive comment, "Don't turtles like the heat?" My turtle's water is normally 78°F, but it's been much hotter, causing stress. After many calls and much pushback, we were temporarily placed at another Urby while other affected residents went out-of-pocket on hotels + pet boarding.
Lucie also mentioned that due to the situation, the late fee on rent would be waived this month. However, on 9/6, tenants were still charged the $100 late fee.
Lastly, a friend who used to live here was targeted by another resident with a sexual criminal history. Management's response was to ask if he should be evicted and she did not feel comfortable making that determination as he lived with family, even after he followed her home while intoxicated. Rather than taking appropriate action, they begged her to stay, leading her to move out.
This place might seem nice on the surface, but the new management's response during crises is disappointing. Consider this before moving in. read more