Argo Real Estate — Local services in New York

On November 5th, 2021, a fire broke out in an Argo building. In my opinion, the events that followed and delays in repairs were contributing factors in my sister's premature death. The source of the fire was an oven/stove that was likely decades old and was in a neighbor's 3rd floor apartment. On at least two other occasions I personally witnessed, such ovens had spontaneously turned on to the highest heat, their hardwired plugs making them impossible to disconnect without professional assistance. The tenant in question had a hoarding disorder, and whether her oven, like the two others, turned on spontaneously, or whether an accidental nudge against the stove lit the stacks of paper on it, I do not know. What I do know, and what photographs show, is that firefighters didn't need to break the door in; photos show it swung open and undamaged. Whether she forgot to close it, or if like some other doors in the building it didn't latch properly, a violation of the NYC law regarding self-closing doors, I don't know.

The heat of the fire triggered the sprinklers. Neighbors described the sound of the water as it ran through the elevator shaft as, "like a waterfall" and water soaked the walls down to the first floor. Mold developed. Despite the whirring of a couple of Servpro machines, the stench of it caught the back of my throat whenever I entered the building.

Argo did not assist in the clear-out of the apt filled with moldering material, leaving that task to the tenant, despite visible mold growth in the hallway. The elevator would be out for months - so climbing up the indoor fire-stairs through moldy air was the only option, but pausing for breath never was. I was there the days that loads of moldy belongings were shifted into the hall, the day workers visibly struggled with the task of removing it all, all of us choking in the stairwell.

Argo responded to this crisis by waiting for an insurance claim to be processed and a new part for the elevator to be delivered. The delay seemed both specious and indefensible to me. While there may not have been funds to issue urgency in repair, there was plenty of money to go about for decorative renovations - decorative arches, new stone flooring, gaudy "trendy" lighting fixtures, thousands upon thousands of dollars spent on cosmetic finishes rather than critical repairs.

Three tenants were suing Argo because of this situation. One, a subletter, was forced out as the co-op board voted (coincidence I'm sure) that the length of time a shareholder could sublet their apt was exactly how long the plaintiff had lived there. So she lost her standing to sue. The second left shortly after reporting to neighbors that she had received a surprise evening visit from an Argo representative brandishing eviction paperwork. The third person died. She lived on the 9th floor, with a known history of health and respiratory issues. Two months after the fire, work not yet even started on the elevator, two months of trying to go about her daily life, walking her dogs, her life ended in a heart attack. She was my sister. I was with her as she collapsed. I heard the sirens within moments of calling 911, but it took what seemed an eternity for the first responders to climb to the 9th floor with their heavy gear. The day before she died, she climbed nearly thirty flights of steps, texted that it felt like "needles were going into her eyes" as she walked through the mold. There is no doubt in my mind that the extreme exertion along with poor air quality were factors in her death, an opinion shared by several attorneys who reluctantly informed me of NYS's antiquated wrongful death laws which only allow for financial damages. The loss of a life means nothing besides that.

I think one member of Argo's staff may have some spark of conscience, as she emailed me, "I apologize for your sister's death". Ask any child what the difference is between "I'm sorry for..." and "I apologize for..." Champagne for all - someone at Argo has something akin to a soul - and of course the building has its god-awful...

My boyfriend and I are looking for our first apartment together. I found one apartment in Rego Park and we went to see the unit thanks to Charles Kriegel. We fell in love with unit. We informed Kriegel we wanted to apply for it and he told us what we would need. ONE red flag was that Argo asked for everything up front: broker, security, one month and credit check. I’m used to having my credit ran first THEN we get asked for everything upon approval but we said “ah maybe different real estate offices have different policies” not only that, we were told “Of for whatever reason you get denied we return all the money minus the credit check, $20” but not one contract listing such claims was put into our paperwork. DOUBLE RED FLAG. After multiple discussions with Mr. Kriegel, we finally had all paperwork and checks done. He made it seem like we were 100% going to get the apartment. The day we had to hand in the papers/checks (Sunday June 20th), one of the checks were mislabeled and Mr. Kriegel allowed us to drop everything off the next day (Monday June 21st). The night of Sunday June 20th, I personally wrote up my own contract to have Argo sign saying that we will get our money back in the event we are denied (don’t know why I had to do that, should have already been added to our application/paperwork) My boyfriend dropped everything off June 21st and had them sign OUR contract. Not even 2 hours after dropping off our paperwork, Charles Kriegel calls me to inform me we were denied. He didn’t give me a reason he just said “the building is strict. I don’t know why you were denied.” I was a little confused because I have the Experian app. If anyone looks into our file or even attempts to look, we get a notification about it. I did not get one notification of them looking into my credit report or file and neither did my boyfriend. I thought we were denied because we DID have our files locked and Charles told us when I informed him “no they got through and you were still denied” So when asked for our credit report, Kriegel went radio silent on us. Odd. I was reading the reviews for Argo and noticed this isn’t the first time they did something like this. I saw two other users had the same experience. I don’t know what is going on but I don’t...

I live in Argo real estate one of their Barkley building since 2012. Honestly first 6 Years wasn't a big issue with them as I wasn't a parents, so going early at work and coming late home was an everyday schedule . So I didnt even stay all day at my apartment beside weekend. But since end of 2017 when I was 7 months pregnant, I started living home full time. I started noticing the constant banging noise, neighbor children jumping, playing loud upstairs n all that. Let me say one thing in capital lettet, THIS REAL ESTATE HAS THE WORSE MANAGEMENT!! So if you are someone who wanna or need to complain about something, nothing gonna happen with it. Since my baby born I needed to make sure she naps properly without any distraction. Because she ll woke up easily and I can't rest either.. But let me tell you the horrible time I went through . Banging the wall, construction for 5 months from 8 am to 5 pm right above my head with horrifying noises, the tenant used to live upstairs was a bunch of guys renting together, all night they were walking, partying, laughing loud till 4 am in the morning. Though no pet allowed beside first floor, upstairs tenants managed to keep a cat who was a noise machine all night . The disruption they cost to my baby's sleep was absurd. I called cops, called management but nothing works.. So monthly the rent will go to this management pocket ontime, but when it's time to help the tenant out listen to their complaints, warn the upstairs tenants or even lowering the construction hours . This real estate would never help you out.. Be aware before renting apartments here unless you renting the highest floor.. BE AWARE ! I am giving you the...