The Hollingsworth — Local services in New York

If you're comfortable paying rent to live with roaches, this might be the place for you.

I moved in eight months ago and did a walkthrough with the property manager on the first day. During the inspection, I noticed a dead cockroach near the AC/heater unit. The property manager quickly removed it and told me not to worry—it supposedly came in from the balcony. I hoped that was true, but unfortunately, that was just the beginning.

Since then, I’ve been seeing cockroaches on a regular basis—almost weekly during last summer and beginning of fall. I submitted my first request for pest control, and while someone did come to address it, they only removed the visible roaches. The issue wasn’t resolved.

After submitting another request, an exterminator came and blocked holes and set traps. I was hopeful, but it didn’t help. More roaches started appearing. This week alone, I’ve seen three in two days. I’ve submitted yet another request, and again, the only solution offered is to send the exterminator back.

It’s incredibly stressful living in these conditions, and management doesn’t seem to have a long-term solution. If you're considering moving here, be prepared to deal with a persistent roach problem.

I will not be renewing my lease, and I will update this review if the situation improves. But as it stands, this has been a disappointing and frustrating experience.

Update as of May 1, 2025 Earlier this week (Tuesday, April 29), an exterminator visited again and discovered two large openings behind the laundry machine—approximately 2 inches high and 1.5 to 2 feet wide—on both sides. They also found three dead roaches underneath the unit. The exterminator, along with the maintenance team, spent a significant amount of time sealing the gaps, and I genuinely appreciate the effort they put in.

Unfortunately, just two days later—this morning (May 1)—I found another roach in my apartment. I've submitted yet another pest control request.

Given the ongoing nature of the issue, I’ve also asked the management team to allow for early lease termination without penalty. Let’s see how they respond.

To be fair, the management team has been responsive and professional throughout this process. It’s clear they’re trying their best to fix the problem. However, at this point, it seems that the infestation is tied to a deeper, structural issue with the building.

While I still hope the recent patching work will make a difference, I remain cautious. Living with this persistent roach problem has been stressful and frustrating.

I will continue to update this review as the situation develops, but for now, I advise prospective tenants to be aware of this ongoing...

Don’t move here. I moved into Hollingsworth around May, and at first, everything was fine. However, two months later, I started experiencing many issues with this building.

HOT WATER AND HEAT The hot water and heat would constantly go out. Management would often email the tenants saying how the boiler is down and the hot water and heat will be restored soon, just to email us again 5 hours later, saying the boilers down again. Instead of spending money for jazz night, donuts, and cosmetics to give out at the lobby, why not invest in a better boiler…

In addition, my heater is constantly makes loud noises and spits water. Management has assured me this is normal, however this should not be the case for a luxury building.

ELEVATOR. The building promised us a new elevator since people were waiting 15 minutes to get on the elevator. The elevator was supposed to be done and running before November; however, the elevator wasn’t operating until December. Even though there are three elevators now, sometimes two elevators would be in service, so everyone is back to waiting a long time for one elevator.

CONSTRUCTION. The building often informs us about construction at the last minute, which is super-inconvenient and unprofessional given how many people work/study at home.

AMENITIES. When I was touring this building, the agent told me the sky deck was opened 24/7 and pet-friendly. However, a few months later, I got an email saying the roof closes before midnight, and we can no longer bring our pets up there. I regret paying for the amenities because the doors on the Skydeck and gym are always open; there is no point paying extra for that key fob.

GOOGLE REVIEW Tenant’s google reviews are disappearing, which is so suspicious. Additionally, new tenants are pressured to write 5-star reviews. ALSO, If you complain too much, they won’t renew your lease.

Management will BRIBE people to edit their negative review by offering free amenities services

I can easily understand and ignore these problems if it was happening once in a while. But at this point, this is an endless cycle. I am running out of patience. For the amount of money I pay to live here, I expect more.

The only good thing about this building is the people working at the front desk. They are such an amazing and friendly group of people. I truly will miss them...

This place has the looks/aesthetics of a luxury building but unfortunately due to the horrible management and cheap finishes, it simply isn't.

I would like to address the horrible construction noise that other reviewers have posted about. I will completely agree. It's unbearable and you can't work/study when it's going on. I've spoken to residents who have lived here a few years and this has been going on for at least two years with no end in sight. Management claimed in a response to another view that it's external. I can assure you that it isn't. It truly makes the place inhabitable during the day. Management - i think we all would appreciate some transparency opposed to vague answers to try to save your reputation on a google review response.

Cockroaches - this building is infested. Enough said. Management does temporary fixes but doesn't address the larger issue. They are in the apartments, in the hallways, in the gym. I have even found one inside the cleaning wipe container in the gym.

Gym - looks like solid equipment. However some of it is broken or unusable. Management makes excuses and blames prior management instead of fixing it themselves. The floors are sticky, dirty, and salty from sweat that isn't cleaned up.

Management - probably the biggest issue with the building. I've never lived in a luxury building where the management team treats residents so poorly. They rarely reply to your concerns/issues. If they do, you either get a condescending response or an excuse. They have zero customer service skills. In my opinion, Van Barton needs to clean house and get quality people on board who know how to run a luxury building.

Advice to management - save the time from responding to this review with a fake excuse or vague response like you do with the rest. We want to see action from you.

**Edit - in the management's response, they are alleging that I don't live in the building. Then it showed my review was unavailable. I'm attaching photos of the building and a video of the noise I speak about. This clearly shows the manipulation that management does to us as residents. Also - seems fishy that they try to offset the negative reviews with immediate 5...