Ex-Market Rate Tenant to Tishman Speyer and BlackRock

I received a message today from a former market rate tenant of Stuyvesant Town. It was sent as a comment to one of the blog posts ("Our Tenants Come First"), but it's certainly worthy to be brought out more into the open, as it addresses a critical issue in how the landlord deals with the market rate tenants in this complex when lease renewal comes around. So here it is:

As a market rate renter who recently moved out, I have to express my extreme irritation with ST on the move out of the complex. Comments before complaints:

- I always paid the rent on time.
- I was never a problem.
- I was happy there and the complex and my apartment were well maintained.

That said, here is what has happened:

- Stuy Town was essentially willing to lower our rent by around 10%, no more. They subsequently (less than a month later) lowered it by another approx 10% based on ads I have seen in the subway offering 2 months free. Apparently that is not being offered to good tenants.

- I wasted a ton of time just trying to figure out what the renewal would be if we stayed. ST, of course, made this extremely difficult by helpfully making the hours start at 10am to speak with a renewal person (Heather O'neill).
- Apparently the leasing office can't accept returned keys, which is a joke. I had to literally threaten them with making a stink in the leasing office before a "solution" could be found.
- ST just tagged us with almost $300 in "fees" for moving. There were two:

1. A $229.30 fee to replace a light fixture (a "globe"). It was broken and I never bothered to have it replaced. They had also given me a quote of $85 or $115 (I am not sure which) to replace it when I lived there. So ST is literally lying on the fees.

2. A $40.14 fee to pry a $15 taped mirror from the back of a closet. That might have taken 1 minute.

When I complained to ST, I was, again, helpfully referred to their legal department. I assume I will get screwed on these items. Give me a break.

I used to say good things about ST, but I won't anymore.

I understand that Tishman and BlackRock are underwater on their investment, I am sure many of these fees are designed to screw people as much as possible. That's fine, you are screwing yourselves long term, but of course you are so underwater you can't think straight.

I hope someone at ST is reading this comment.

Getting Something Right

While there is much in the complex of Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village that is not going well, there are instances of something working very well. Though we may be prone to take the negative view, it would be disingenuous to deny that life in the complex can be quite good and enjoyable and that a portion of the landscaping has been a success. Now it's true that this success is generally in the areas that are more viewable by passersby and from the periphery of Stuy Town/Peter Cooper (useful for the sell/spin of the landlord), but the fact remains that for whatever reason the landscaping in certain areas is a clear improvement over what used to be here.

Case in point. Residents of Stuyvesant Town who've been around for more than five years in the complex and who walk along the 14th Street Loop have always seen the exposed grass area not far away from the flag pole as a baked earth, with little greenery evident. MetLife had the hardest time trying to make this region look green and nice and failed in every attempt I can think of.

Well, look at this area now:







Not perfect, but close.

It remains to be seen if the greenery here will be maintained or whether the area will fall prey, once again, to a baked earth brown. But so far, looking good.

A Peek Inside College Life in Stuyvesant Town

Want to know what luxury living is like for NYU students dorming in Stuyvesant Town? Well, here are some photos for you.

First up, the interior of one bedroom, Ikea/Home Depot furnishings in place:



Next, we have the "living room." Note the pressurized wall to the right, the door of which gives access to another bedroom or what passes nowadays for a bedroom, but what used to be part of a standard Stuyvesant Town living room. I have no idea where the ventilation is in this area. If you notice the lack of rugs in both bedroom and living room (and connecting hallway), you do not get a prize but just a noisy neighbor.



After less than a year, when it's time to move on and look for newer digs, you can easily deposit your unwanted furniture on the street, as seen here on the 20th Street curb. Someone is bound to pick it up.

"Our Tenants Come First" - Tishman Speyer

And now a word from Stuyvesant Town's landlord, Tishman Speyer:

OUR TENANTS COME FIRST

With more than 4,000 tenants, Tishman Speyer views each tenant as a client and goes the extraordinary lengths to anticipate their needs and exceed their expectations. Property Management is committed to providing premium service in high-quality space so when a tenant has a choice of which building to call home, they'll choose a Tishman Speyer building.

Tishman Speyer has an in-house team of over 300 property management experts who oversee all aspects of our buildings' operations, including engineering, security, fire safety and cleaning. Our property management teams operate their buildings as if they are stand-alone businesses, with a focus on making sure that each tenant's needs are taken care of and that each Tishman Speyer property is maintained to the company's exacting standards.

To ensure that our properties are operated to the highest levels of professionalism, responsiveness and efficiency, Tishman Speyer integrates each building into our customized internal programs including:

* Internal Audit Program
* Tenant Satisfaction Survey
* Emergency Procedures
* Tenant Portal Website
* Electronic Work Order System
* Electronic Preventative Maintenance Program
* Standard Operating Procedures

With a reputation as a best in-class operator, we realize that the creation of long-term relationships with our tenants ultimately leads to the creation of value in our buildings and our assets.

All of which may explain why the world's top-tier tenants tend to be our tenants.

---------------------

If you feel this information is inaccurate, you can contact Tishman Speyer:

Tishman Speyer
45 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10111
Phone: (212) 715-0315

More Pimping of Stuy Town?

A reader of this blog sent in the following photos of a supposed "legal notice" placed on an Oval lamppost warning Stuyvesant Town residents that the Oval grounds are being used for a TV shoot of a series produced by Style Kings Production, and that if you enter the area you approve to have your image used, etc., etc.





I wasn't able to find any information online about a "Style Kings Production," so at this point I'm assuming that this notice was put up by some amateur filmmakers (ie, film students) and that Stuy Town hasn't approved it. Hopefully this is not legit. Otherwise, another inconvenience as landlord Tishman Speyer keeps on pimping the complex.

Apartments for Rent -- PLEASE!

Tishman Speyer is trying its best to rent out apartments with various pimping methods that intrude upon the tranquility of Stuy Town residents and their weekends. Last week, management blocked the 14th Street Loop near the playground to put up a kid's tumble cage, with that one-year lease-free Mini Cooper nearby and a couple of large signs to get residents excited about getting friends to rent here.





Problem was that management did not (and refused to) put up a road block at the entry to the 14th Street Loop, causing irate drivers to back up and turn around when they came to the apex of the Loop and the blocking pimping activities there.

And today, a Z100 stall popped up at the Oval to pimp a free one-year lease of a Stuyvesant Town apartment to residents who, because they already live here, are ineligible for the contest!!! Or, more accurately, the pimping was directed at the non-residents from the Lower East Side who converge at the Oval (trespassing?) to sunbathe here and take up space that residents could use.

Lux Living Blog No More?

Readers of the Lux Living blog woke up today to find that the site now has a black on white message--ACTIVISM IS A THANKLESS JOB. The message hangs there for a few seconds to then glide into the front page of Stuyvesant Town's official website.

The person behind the blog (Lux Living, for want of a real name) had already stated a couple of weeks ago that the blog would be shutting down, or at least in some kind of hibernation, with occasion posts when warranted.

There will be, no doubt, considerable discussion as to what happened and if the recent barrage of rancorous comments on the blog, with a few commentators mercilessly and persistently attacking each other in the ugliest ways, was key in impelling Lux to post his message and supposedly sign off the way he did. Possibly, but it would have been easy for Lux to moderate the comments or, if he was going away or didn't have time to monitor the blog, shut down the comment section, leaving his blog posts still online. I think behind this all are reasons we are not privy to--though I have my suppositions.

Whatever the case, the blog can easily come back, as I'm assuming Lux Living hasn't deleted it, but has it stored in cyberspace and on his hard drive. So I think it's unwise to yet say RIP.

Having said all this, I'm sure that we all thank Lux Living for starting his blog and continuing on with it for as long as he did. Lux's posts were both witty and informative and shook up the management establishment. The blog was certainly the bane of Tishman Speyer. If Lux is really gone, obviously he will be missed.

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