Worst Places to Rent in PLG

I was psyched to see that the City has put its slumlord data to good use: a handy map allows web users to see the worst landlords at a glance. Here in PLG, two have earned the "worst" designation, Louis Bombart of 150 Lefferts Avenue (bet. Bedford & Rogers), and Jean Bernard Mode of 441 Rogers Avenue (bet. Lefferts and Lincoln). Congratulations, guys.

Apartment hunters: consider yourself warned.  Now all the City has to do is cross-list the landlord data with the bedbug registry and we'll be in business!

Comments

[babs]

Recent bed bug reports per the bedbug registry include just about every rental building in PLG. Ocean Ave, Lincoln Rd,Beekman Court - they're all there, along with others on Flatbush and Clarkson. Thanks to new law just signed last month, landlords now must provide a written disclosure of all bedbug problems in the entire building with every new lease. If you don't get one with your lease, you can report your landlord to the DHCR (see their website for forms).

[carrie]

C'mon, Babs! There are bedbugs all over the city, including PLG, but "just about every rental" is a gross exaggeration. Look at the map! Most rental buildings are in fact not on there.

[babs]

I said just about every rental building meaning only the larger ones. I know of only one 2 family house on the list, but most of the larger buildings are there, although they may not appear on the map (because too close together); you have to look them up by address (because of my business I spend a lot of time doing this!). Here is a partial list: 64 Lincoln Rd, 50 Lincoln Rd, 40 Lincoln Rd, 2100 Beekman Ct., 2111 Beekman Ct., 2121 Beekman Ct., 75 Ocean Ave., 99 Ocean Ave. (including one report dated today, 10/5), 115 Ocean Ave., 135 Ocean Ave., 25 Lefferts Ave., 590 Flatbush Ave., 2121 Westbury Ct., 135 Clarkson Ave., 224 Sterling St. There are more, you just need to look up every address.

[gw]

I am entirely unshocked that my neighbors at 150 Lefferts have one of the worst landlords in the city. The building is in terrible shape, garbage piles up regularly in the courtyard, and there's a noise violation nearly every night in the summer. It's a shame, because there are some nice residents and it's really a lovely block.

[babs]

Agreed, gw - and what's even more shocking is that it is in the historic district. From the designation report: No. 150 (Nos. 148-154) is a six-story brick apartment building designed in 1939 by
Seeling & Finkelstein, an architectural firm prominent in the design of Brooklyn
apartment houses in the 1920s and 1930s. This is the only apartment building in the historic district. HPD has filed successive judgments against the owner since 2004 because of the violations, and the building is on lis pendens as a result. Perhaps eventually HPD will be able to take it over (not that that's necessarily an improvement).

[carrie]

Ha, I didn't realize that about the map. I use the bedbug registry all the time for my consignment shop; of 50 prospective consignors to date only 1 was a positive in the database.

[babs]

It's good you're checking, but please note that the Bedbug Registry is entirely hearsay-based; in some cases, the reports may be untrue (disgruntled tenant or mistake), while in others the infestation may not have been reported. For absolute certainty, you may wish to invest in a PackTite (http://www.packtite.com/),a device that heats everything to over 120 degrees fahrenheit, thus killing bedbugs and their eggs. It lists for $320, but you can get it for less (although I hear they're on backorder now).

[carrie]

Thanks for the tip. Fortunately, clothing is pretty easy to protect against bedbugs: you just need to dry things in the dryer after washing. That device might help for things like fine wool, though, which the dryer would destroy.

[Carmen]

Its nice to see Fenimore is free and clear (including the larger buildings on this street). Even outside of the Bed Bug Registry, I haven't heard of anyone on my street having issues pertaining to bedbugs or landlords.

[babs]

Nor have I Carmen, and I often rent out apartments in one building there (my favorite in the area). In fact, we have our first lease signing since the new law took effect tomorrow, and I have an "all clear" statement from the owners.