Rheingold Bushwick — Local services in New York

If management wasn't so poor, this would be a great place to live. The building sells you on a luxury experience and amenities but it is mostly smoke and mirrors. What pushed me over the edge to finally write a review is that yesterday my key fob stopped working after only having it for 6 months and I was not able to get into the building. Rather than apologize, management said "You will have to purchase a new fob. The fee is $50." This is a common complaint amongst residents, mgmt will nickel and dime over small things, this is not a luxury experience.

If management ran a tighter ship and was more customer service oriented, this building could really be great. This is why so many people do not renew their leases here:

My apartment was not ready on my move-in date and no one told me it wasn't ready, so I showed up with a moving van and was not allowed into the apartment until the next day. The apartment was very dirty with several things broken when I moved in. Mgmt said things would be fixed, this took over a month and I ended up having to spend a full day scrubbing mold from the balcony because mgmt refused to clean it. The highest electricity bills I've ever had (+/- $200) for a 1 bed in NYC. Gym equipment hasn't been fixed after reporting it being broken when I first moved in 6 months ago. Super says "parts are on order". Broken cardio equipment, machines, water dispenser, etc. Sauna, cinema room and other amenities close at 10:30pm which was never mentioned prior to moving in. Cinema room works so poorly that no one in the building uses it. Almost every piece of equipment in the photo studio is broken. WiFi deadzones everywhere in the building. This seems like a small thing but when you lose service every time you pass the front desk until you're in your apartment, it is very annoying. Also there is no WiFi in some of the amenity areas. Packages often take 24 hours to be available after they are delivered because the package room is understaffed. Coworking spaces smell like urine from the dog park which is never properly cleaned. All of Forest Ave smells like urine (very strongly) because of the dogs that are walked there and no one ever hoses down the sidewalk. Laundry is over $3.50 to wash and $3.50 to dry and the machines are constantly broken and constantly eat your money. Each elevator bay has 2 elevators and one is almost always being used by building maintenance so wait times are long. Even paying for the highest level of amenities and getting a discount on rentals, the party rooms cost $400 and if you have 20 people they charge an extra $150 for cleaning and $50/hour for security. No one ends up using...

We moved into the Rheingold in May of 2019 after living in downtown Manhattan for many years and are extremely happy. Massive upgrade. It's super accessible to Manhattan and Brooklyn with the L (15 mins to Union Sq) and the JMZ (10 mins to Essex) each about 8 mins walk away, 57 bus, plus Citibike, Revel, etc. Also close Bushwick, Ridgewood, East Williamsburg restos and night spots and not too far from spots in Bed Stuy. We were brought to the neighboring building, the Stanwix, by a broker and only noticed the Rheingold from a window and were intrigued right away. The Stanwix is a nice building, but the Rheingold is on a entirely different level. The design of the units is incredible - a wall of windows -- but enough solidity that you don't feel that you're in a glass box. Beautiful hardwood floors, large bathrooms, generous closets and super-high ceilings. We thought we in a high concept place in Denmark rather than Bushwick. Our 2 bedroom unit has two good sized balconies, which has made all of the difference during the pandemic. We were always able to go outside to get some air even on the most desperate days.The common areas are kept very clean and all of the staff are very kind, thoughtful, friendly and efficient, even when it's very busy. Stuff rarely breaks but when it does, the super comes quickly and deals with it. There's a great, fully staffed mail and package room for all of your mail orders with cold storage for food or medicine that needs it and there's also a huge laundry room with quality machines and plenty of capacity. The amenities are also high quality and well maintained. We use the gym frequently, which is clean and stocked with high quality machines and weights, and there's a large yoga room than can be used for personal training or body weight exercises. The enormous, naturally landscaped roof deck has plenty of large gas grills and tables in addition to all different kinds of environments - from hammocks, to semi-secluded hangouts, to a bar area, a giant chess board and a pool table. Tremendous 360 degree views of the City and Brooklyn. There's also a ton of stuff that we haven't used -- rentable party spaces, underground parking, a stocked music room, photo studio, game rooms, co-working space, squash court, steam and sauna. All of this stuff is discreetly tucked away, so you don't feel like you're in all-inclusive resort though. The thing that we love most about the place is its diversity. It's a big building with people of different races, ages, lifestyles and backgrounds and people connect, feel safe and get along. It's a really thoughtful and...

It's almost been a year for me here. My experience is mostly positive. But it is still a bit hard to recommend to anyone, especially for this price. There is a lot to improve.

First THE GOOD ; *The building is pretty amazing. It's modern, has overall good vibe. The market connected to building is also very decent. Unit itself overall feels nice. *Location is great. Quite most of the time, safe, surrounded by cool spots, restaurants, bars. Close to M and L train, Citibikes nearby, overall convenient. *Staff is awesome. Super nice people, management is fast responsive. Except, I had a bad experience with maintenance.

THE BAD ; Yes maintenance. I'm on 8th floor. And there are ventilation units right above my unit. They naturally work 7/24, but they cause constant loud buzzing noise, which is especially rough at night. I opened a ticket for this, after a few days i realized that the ticket got closed without a notice. I opened again, then they came and checked the unit, gave a brief explanation about issue and told me that they will look into it. The problem is still exists and they close the ticket again and gone dismissive about it. Not a good communication and also I guess they are more concerned about closing the tickets rather than solving issues. Then I had to contact the management again to get a clear answer, and apparently it is not possible to solve this issue. So for those who'd be interested in top floor units, earplugs are mandatory for light sleepers. And your bed shouldn't touch the wall otherwise you will still feel vibration. *And yes walls are definitely thin. *Amenities are not bad, BUT, they cost extra so it is fair to expect extra treatment and care. There was a great Manhattan view on the roof last year, now it's blocked by another building. There is a climbing/bouldering wall in the gym, but there is no regular inspection, so there can be loose holds, and it's not safe. I contacted the management once, and as I've said earlier they responded quickly and fixed some, but not all fixed which is normal because things may shift in time, so this requires regular checks and maintenance. *Considering these negatives, price should be included in this list as well.

So this is a nice building, but certain things need to be taken more seriously and provide better quality to justify the price. Hoping to be a helpful heads up for those interested, and constructive critisism to...