Joyland Management — Local services in New York

Joyland Management and Brooklyn High Rise LLC are a bunch of scammers and are clearly desperate for rent. This weekend I applied for an apartment at $1925. I asked the agent at Brooklyn High Rise LLC if the apartment was a flat rate and not net/gross they said yes. I went to see the place. I asked whether this apartment was market rate or rent stabilized. They said it was a market apartment. This meant that the rent could go up to any amount next year. I tried to negotiate a 2 year deal. In the end I was told that Joyland Management would only do a one year lease as “COVID was too uncertain”. I decided to take a chance and renegotiate the rent next year. I put a deposit down to take the apt off the market. I had a day to move as my lease was up and I did not want to risk losing my security deposit at my old place. The agent assured me that I could move into the new place when I needed to. I let them know that I had coordinated movers for 9am today. They told me I could sign my lease at 10:30 or 11:00am the same day. They sent me a “COVID relief fund form” which they said would help pay the “net”. I thought this was just an incentive as they had already told me that my rent was a flat rate. I didn’t even think I would get it as I’m not considered low income so I just filled it out. I asked the agent was this all I was supposed to receive — meaning where is the lease? With packing up I did not receive a response and I focused on moving. A few hiccups with getting a check for my first months and security happened the day of. My bank is in Manhattan and my card wouldn’t work at the local Brooklyn post office. I pleaded with the agent and Joyland to at least allow my movers up to put my items down while I figured out how to get the money order as the movers were paid by the hour. I also offered to pay Joyland through Zelle and they refused. I was so frustrated that I was crying on the phone with the agent. Finally Joyland agreed to set up an electronic account where I could pay the first months and security. I get the lease and the rent was listed at around 2500 dollars. They then told me that there was a rider included with the “1925” price. I look for the rider and its listed that my rent is 1925 and that this “covid relief fund” would be paying the additional 550 or so of my rent. In addition the rider stated that the apartment was indeed rent stabilized when the agent told me it wasn’t. I immediately got upset because no one told me the apartment cost 2500. In addition, I kept asking what the price was calculated to be for next year and I was told, “management doesn’t know” but the apartment is rent stabilized so they already know the apartment would be 2500 plus a 0-3% increase. Judy Minster proceeded to taunt me about getting a mover without seeing a lease when this was an unusual circumstance where I had one day to make this happen. She also said that agents lie all the time and that I should keep my voice down in her office as if it was my fault. Judy Minster and her team allowed Brooklyn High Rise to actively create a Streeteasy posting that misrepresented the price of an apartment, showed no compassion to me when I put down a deposit on an apartment, and made fun of me in her office. She and her team acted in a disgusting fashion. I could have been homeless today and they wouldn’t have cared. They treated me with disrespect and are conniving. The fact that she actively corroborated that agents lie makes me know that she was in on this scheme all along. Please beware of this management company as they only care about their own bottom line and will steep so low to get it under any circumstances. Judy Minster you should be ashamed of yourself. Your scheme cost me hundreds of dollars in mover fees, and other costs associated...

Worst management company I’ve had the displeasure of working with to date. Any 5 star review you see here is either AI generated or fake. Many other REAL reviews here point to their awful service: disorganized, unresponsive, mismanaged, and outright neglectful. As another review states, they only care about responding when it affects their money collection. Their behavior is undeniably illegal, but when bullied by their collections agent, we had to back down from going to court. It wasn’t worth the justified fight.

My personal experience: moved into 1444 Pacific St, Brooklyn. Within the first month of the lease, profuse water leakage in the basement and roommate’s bedroom—above his bed—following a bad storm in September 2023. Inhabitable living conditions ensued, but problem was bandaged by a maintenance worker from previous management company. Joyland took over in ~December 2023. By April 2024, leaks from another bad storm were substantially worse; rats confirmed living in walls, accompanied by miasma and poor unit air quality. Multiple maintenance requests made to Joyland, little to no responses over the course of the next few months. Neglected. Tenants and myself decided to withhold rent in escrow (after documenting entire progression of mishandling by management). Only then did we receive responses. Eventually, they threatened us with a 5 day notice warning of potential eviction if rent was not paid. Collections and legal agent ensured us that was merely a formality and had a note for why we were withholding, to disregard. We could not risk losing our shelter.

As of writing this in July 2024, the absolutely necessary and safety ensuring repairs, that are legally obliged on behalf of Joyland to make, are still absent, and their communication is virtually null.

If you have a unit that is managed...

I would give zero stars if it were possible. This is the worst management company I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with. Not only did their buildings not function properly (one elevator that was constantly out, broken front door, unclean amenities and common spaces in disarray), but there was absolutely no way to contact them after hours in case of an emergency. There wasn't even a possibility of leaving a voicemail. I sometimes got lucky messaging someone through Google, but it was extremely hit or miss.

So many issues with noisy neighbors, stolen packages, smoking in the hallways, and management could not care less. The most they ever did was send an email asking people not to do that with zero follow through. I don't think anyone from this company ever even set foot inside the building.

Front desk staff was rude every single time I had to visit the office in person (and never wore masks, even during the height of the pandemic), and their associates were not reachable by email unless I sent 3, 4, sometimes 5 emails to multiple people and copied the general inbox on my communication. They held my security deposit well over 30 days without any effort or attempt to return it to me, and only after I spent 5 days trying to track someone down for more information did they decide to process my return. Still haven't gotten it and at this point I'm not sure I will.

If you are planning to live in one of their properties, I would recommend...