Smart Equities

Bad landlord, construction 6 days a week.

THE WORST LANDLORD AND COMPANY EVER!
We have constantly have had leaking radiators with water leaking to the unit below, roof leaks, nails sticking out of the wooden floors, plumbing, mice and roach issues. All to only be «patched» up by nonprofessionals who make things worse rather than better. We have addressed time and time again that there are MAJOR structural issues with this pre-​war building that needs professional care rather than patching. When construction inside the building is being done, tenants are not notified about when and what time it’s being done, there are no permits or ventilation for this work, nor are we being notified about water and electricity being shut off.
Before we had moved in, we had requested a clean and patching of holes. Upon moving in, it was not done. We had to scrub and clean ourselves!
We pay well over what is worth of our studio, electronically, and continually get notices about our rent not being payed.
Every time I have addressed an issue, we have often been approached with incompetent employees who disrespectfully raise their voice and argue with us like they know what we are talking about. I have seen other tenants kicked out in 3 days notice, maintenance workers injured, and treated awfully for «not getting the job done.»
I have reported many issues to 311 and documented every incident that is hazardous to tenants because of the warnings about the landlord that we have received from previous tenants. We have had housing inspections done but everything gets patched up before the visits, making it seem like everything is ok.
Caroline D. had just moved out when we had just moved in and warned us of all she has written. I would take hers and my word. If you do decide to move into this place, be sure you report all to 311 and have your weapons (documents) to defend your deposit.

This is by far the worst apartment situation I have ever had living in NYC. The condition of the apartment and building itself as atrocious. Hallway stairs in disrepair, major pest infestations in the building (mice, etc.) and faulty plumbing. They ignored my requests to have the shower and sink fixed while I lived in the apartment and waited till I moved out to try to CHARGE ME for the problems. They kept my entire deposit (one full month of rent) and have repeatedly threatened to take me to court. Sara B.‘s links are helpful, and you can also see that they received an F rating from the Better Business Bureau:

IF I COULD GIVE THEM 0 ZERO STARS I WOULD.
RATED #32 WORST LANDLORD IN BROOKLYN!
NEVER RENT FROM THIS COMPANY!
I fell in love with the parlor apartment of one of their buildings, located at 351 Washington Avenue in Fort Greene/​Clinton Hill. There were tons of built in china hutches, built in bookshelves, character galore, soaring ceilings, beautiful mature gardens with immaculate hydrangeas, private rooftop access, pet friendly, tons of window exposures, what more could you ask for, right? Except for the fact that when the ceiling caves in on top of your bed 3 times in 3 months, ruining your mattress every time, and when the plexi-​glass that should have been a glass window blows out of the ground floor, street-​accessible windows, the brand new dishwasher installed leaks gallons of water every time it is run for 9 months, the doors all fall off the hinges, the windows both don’t open and don’t close and leave you with an uncomfortable amount of cold airflow in the winter and an impossible place to air condition in the summer, radiators that spew water 6 feet in the air, floor boards that buckle … you begin to realize that maybe you shouldn’t have been tempted by the shiny veneer of the «character» of the apartment.
Sam Weinberg, aka Smart Equities, LLC, aka 294 Willoughby, aka Washington Plaza, LP, is a terrible landlord. Hands Down. He has petitioned me for non-​payment 3 times in a year when I have all of my rent receipts intact.
From the day that I moved in, there has been unpermitted construction renovating the apartments below and above. I have been in the building for 14 months and there is not a day (except Saturday, the sabbath) that there aren’t undocumented, rude workers in the hallway cutting power without tenant approval, knocking down walls, and using hazardous chemicals without proper air flow, unpermitted demolition well before 8am and past 10pm. As a tenant who prides themselves on caring for their domicile immaculately, and even going above and beyond a tenants obligations for keeping their apartment habitable it is a disgrace to feel like you care more about a building’s condition then the owner of the place. It is an outright shame and these people ought to feel ashamed for the lack of respect they provide their tenants as well as the lack of care with which they tend to the beautiful, historic landmark buildings they denigrate.
Bottom line: DON’T BE FOOLED BY THE PERCEIVED BEAUTY OF THE SPACES THEY OFFER, BECAUSE IT’S NOT WORTH THE HEADACHE AND HEARTACHE INHABITING THEIR APARTMENTS WILL ENTAIL.

I strongly suspect the positive review is from Sam’s real estate agent (
) and should not be trusted. A list of all of his buildings and their numerous Opeon building health and safety complaints and violations can be found here (
) — just click on any building to see what a scumbag he is. Again, read the filtered reviews for the real dirt on this slum lord. Also note, one of his buildings is in such poor condition that he was #114 on NYC’s worst landlords list in 2012 (
). Seriously, avoid AVOID AVOID this rotten pig and his slums

While I have enjoyed getting to know the 15+ roommates during my year long stay at 147 Greene Avenue, there are many issues that need to be addressed. From the first week I moved in, my ceiling has had a reoccurring leak every time there is a period of heavy rainfall. This leak drips down the wall to other rooms and causes black mold growth. Rather than fixing the issue, management continuously paints over the mold. A few months later the hot water stopped working. After dozens of calls to management, and weeks of freezing showers, the issue was ultimately resolved. Now lets talk about the electric. The entire house is basically on one circuit. Using more than one appliance at a time causes the majority of the building to lose power, with no access to breakers. We discovered that if you turn the stove on, the lights go off. If you turn the stove back on, the lights fade in and out. Rather than fixing the issue, the maintenance man would come almost nightly to flip the breaker. Since summer ended and air conditioners are no longer in use, the issue has been much better.
The landlord claims there is on-​site laundry, however, if it doesn’t work is there really? The management company often misallocates rent payments, and will call claiming you owe money, even when you pay on time every month. The landlord promised there would be a regular cleaning service. if your definition of clean means never seeing a cleaning person, filthy floors, moldy common area bathrooms, nowhere to put garbage, and a basement toilet that drains raw sewage into the boiler room, then okay. Speaking of basement, there is nothing separating the drywall from the outside dirt. The landlord also claims internet is included in the rent. When 15+ people use the cheapest internet connection, you can just imagine.
Now it’s time for the grand finale which caused a mass exodus: we contracted a major bedbug problem. According to the exterminator, typical bedbug treatments take 2 – 3 visits. Tomorrow is our 7^th visit with no end in sight. The problem is spreading and our landlord insists there is no trace of bedbugs in the home. We have continuously found live bedbugs and have woken up with bites. Even though we repeatedly inform the landlord of our bedbug infestation problems, he continues to show infested rooms.
It’s sad that 147 Greene has so many issues. It could be a really great place to live as you get to meet so many different people. It’s been fun to have a built in friend group, there is always someone to go out with, and talk to. Long lasting friendships have been made here and I will miss this place even with all of its problems.
P. S. Be aware of any apartments listed by Pratt Assets, Smart Equities, or our landlord «Sam Weinberger»

Sara, I do agree with you. Sam is a horrible landlord for real. He hasn’t returned my security deposit over 4 months. Is it possible if I can chat with your a little? please contact me via
.