Croman Real Estate

208 E 25^th St is infested with roaches, rats and bedbugs. DO NOT SIGN A LEASE WITH THESE PEOPLE. The units might seem new with flimsy new ‘renovations’ but don’t be fooled. The building is so poorly managed and the properties are infested with all sorts of problems to the core. They are highly irresponsible and let their tenants live in these filthy situations. The super is just there for show, never actually doing any of the actual maintenance around the units. I had to pay out of pocket hundreds of dollars for a locksmith to replace the corroded lock on my door and they still refused to reimburse me.

Complete nightmare. Look them up before you ever rent from them. They kept my deposit and was the only and worst negative experience I’ve ever had with a landlord.

BEWARE!!! DO NOT RENT FROM 9300Realty. They are one of the worst landlords in NYC. I have lived in many buildings in NYC and have had multiple property managers — some were better than others, but none of them were anywhere close to as bad as 9300Realty. I rented a market rate renovated unit from them which looked great when I went to see it, but as soon as I moved in, it has been a living nightmare. Reports of bedbugs, drug busts, constant leaks, the water pressure sucks and the heat is dangerously inadequate. TRUST ME, signing a lease with 9300Realty is one of the worst decisions I have ever made. Please do not make the same mistake.

The most dishonest people ever! They let people live there and then kick them out so that they can rent the place for more money. How do I know that? With me they stopped cashing my checks. I sent them in and they claimed I never paid and they wouldn’t take cash and then sued me for not paying. The nice gay couple lived upstairs since the 60’s and when his spouse died, the next month he received a notice of eviction because it was his partner’s name was on the lease. The man loses his partner of 40 years and and then weeks later he becomes an 80 year old man needing to move out of his home for 40 years. HORRIBLE HUMAN BEINGS!!!

if i could give them zero stars i would.
–go weeks without hot water despite daily complaints
–forget about having a stove that works, you will never get someone competent to fix one.
–customer service is non existant.
there is only one review here with more than one star… one!!! and it’s someone with only one review… no comment.
there is a basic moral fabric missing in this company.
will never, ever, rent from them again.
buyer beware

Croman Realty is a company that MUST be investigated by the better business bureau. I lived in one of their apartment s for a year and after the first month we had already received a false late payment on our rent, this is trend would occur every month for a year. It was only after the first flooding that took 3 weeks to drain that we looked into the company and realized what a terrible decision we had made getting involved with them. Contacting anyone in their office was literally an impossibility, the only way we got things fixed is when we took down the maintenance guys cell phone number. I wont bore you with every story but I will bullet point a few exceptional circumstances. Mind you this apartment was gut renovated and everything was brand new when we moved in.
* Gas leak in the stove for 3 months, astronomical bill and when we asked the landlord about the gas smell he insisted it was an electric oven. (the neighbors ended up complaining to ConEd about the hall smelling like gas and they fixed it.)
this would occur 2 more times.
* 4 major floodings throughout the year, the last one ruined about four thousand dollars worth of personal property none of which was reimbursed.
* Water would be shut off or run ice cold without notice or warning
* Ants, Roaches, Spiders and mice run rampant.
* We had two doors downstairs that lead to a hallway for the maintenance crew who would walk into the apartment anytime of day directly into your bedroom as your sleeping in some cases without warning.
* water came down through the ceilings in one bedroom but the company insisted this was not an emergency.
Also we had to buy surge protectors for every outlet in the apartment because the shotty electricity kept burning out all of our electronics. right before we left it flooded up to our knees and they raised the rent 400 $. I would never wish this realty company on my worst enemy, please avoid at all costs.

They are the worst! I would need all day to explain everything. They really shouldn’t be in business. They let you freeze in the winter and ignore your emails that your heaters aren’t working and so much more!

Notice that the one person who left a good review only has one review… gee I wonder who wrote that.
I have lived in two different 9300 Realty apartments– 346 E. 18^th St. (3 years) and 410 E. 13^th St. (1 year) — and out of the 10 years I have lived in Manhattan, am absolutely certain this is the worst management company in the city. DO NOT RENT FROM THEM! There are much bigger and better apartments for what you pay for here– with management companies that actually do their jobs.
Their apartments may look really nice when you first see them– but they are extremely overpriced, even for Manhattan. Second, the apartment renovations hide a lot of problems and the management company is impossible to reach to fix them. Do not think «Oh it’s just her apartment, mine will be fine” — I’ve lived in two different apartments in two different buildings with them, plus there are tons of other people who have had the same experience. Here are some fun things you will likely get to experience if you rent one of their apartments:
1) Be prepared to use your vacation or sick days to make sure they do their job. Any time anything was wrong– which was a lot– I had to take time out of my day to go down to the management office and tell someone in person– and THEN I needed to be home for the appointment for things to get fixed. About 5 times, the maintenance people or construction workers were late or a no-​show.
2) Rent being raised colossally on renewal (my rent went up $ 250 higher this year on renewal)
3) No gas for 6 weeks, including over holidays. I also had a broken oven for 2 weeks. So, plan on not spending too much time entertaining or eating in your apartment.
4) Water boiler not working throughout the winter– prepare to be surprised by freezing cold showers first thing in the morning during a freezing cold day.
5) Holes in the ceiling for 2 weeks while they tried to fix the pipes in the building. An exterminator who came by was horrified that the apartments were exposed for so long.
6) Construction lasted for a month for the pipes, the workers broke a bunch of things and got dust everywhere in the apartment– the company did not warn or reimburse us.
7) Renovations in the apartment above me last 7 months and started at 7:30 am every single morning– which is illegal.
8) The supers in both building would fight with us if we got locked out and wanted them to open our apartment. Neither of them actually helped with anything– we have been waiting a year to get light bulbs that we can’t reach replaced in our current apartment.
9) In the first apartment, a pipe above us burst. The ceiling started caving in and then there was a giant hole. They never responded to my calls– I literally had to take a day off of work to go all the way down to the actually company to make them fix the ceiling. Then I spent another 2 days waiting for the construction workers to fix it, because they never came when they were supposed to.
10) Paper thin walls and floors– my roommate could literally hear everything the people next door were saying. In both apartments, it sounded like people were walking around in heels all day.
11) Completely disorganized– and somehow it will be come your responsibility to fix it. After all, you can’t get the reputation of worst management company in New York if you actually do your job! They lost my information during my lease, and asked me to redo a credit check etc. a year into the lease. Fast forward to my move out date– and they tell me I have to move out a month later than my original lease because they messed up and sent me two renewals, one which had the wrong date.
12) Steven Yow– the president of this shit hole– is incompetent, unprofessional, and rude. When I contacted him about the wrong date on my extension, all he said was «Hmmm, interesting» as if I was the one who did something wrong! He refused to give me contact information for their legal counsel or the landlord or compromise on a situation for which they are partly to blame. He wouldn’t respond to emails or voicemail unless I threatened them, which no one likes to do. I actually feel sad that people like him exist. The irony is that he is president of some other, probably equally shitty company– as if he has the competence to manage even ONE of them.
People are constantly sending flyers around urging residents to report them to the Better Business Bureau or New York State Attorney General. That’s always a good sign.
So, why did I choose a second apartment with them after my experience with the first? The same reason a person reading this review would still choose to rent an apartment with them– they think their experience will be different. It won’t be.

These people are a joke: We’ve lived in one of their buildings for the past 9 months and we haven’t had gas for the past 3 (going on 4). Therefore, we are paying almost $ 5000/​month for an apartment with NO KITCHEN.
Also, they give random workers the keys to our apartments and these workers let themselves in unannounced at all hours of the day.
All of our neighbors are unhappy with the building manager (Taylor Katz, who I’ve been notified was finally fired) and some neighbors have even gone to great lengths to type up and hand out pamphlets educating the rest of the building on the crimes our landlords have been committing (See: extortion). I just hope we are able to get our security deposit back at the end of our lease (in three months), supposedly that is a nearly impossible feat.
Will be reporting Croman and 9300 Realty to the Better Business Bureau

I read all of the negative reviews here, and I have to say that my experience with this firm has been very positive. In fact, this is the first online review I have ever written. Most of the reviews do seem to have taken place a year ago. Perhaps they have made changes in the interim.
I had an issue with an apartment we were renting. Brian, the office manager, when above and beyond the norm to make sure that the issue was rectified quickly and to our satisfaction. He and his staff were professional and very competent. The brokers were knowledgeable about their available inventory and the contract process was straight forward.
They actually bothered to read my credit report, rather than just looking at the score. My credit had gotten dinged up with some small issues, but I don’t owe anyone any money and had proof of income at a stable job to easily cover the rent. Other brokers made me feel like a criminal, asking for ridiculous security or guarantors. This firm weighed the whole application and treated me with respect.
We ended up renting a different apartment, also from this company. The Super at the first place was nice enough to hold some packages we got delivered to the first apartment.
The new apartment is being renovated and we take possession in October. I wil post again after we move in, but thus far, Croman has made a stressful situation more bearable by being decent and professional.

Between my broker and Croman Realty I am asking myself one question: Just how sketchy can the real estate business be? I have been approved financially and can’t get in to any vacant apartment with Croman because these people are morons. I have access to 40x the rent like is required and can’t get any help. I’ve been through all kinds of various shenanigans. WTF. How hard should this be? I now know I don’t want Croman for a landord.
1) First Croman put on the market an apartment that the tenant still wanted to live in. HELLO? I had a finished application in, put a deposit down, and suddenly the current tenant’s lease wasn’t up. She wasn’t going to pack. I am not saying throw Grandma out on the street but don’t sell her place to me either. At every other building I’ve lived in when you decide to move out that’s it. There’s a true deadline and not when the new people are on the way in. Don’t let me hand over money for something I can’t have. Not the end of of the world but organization says well, everything. APARTMENT ONE LOST.
2) I am offered a smaller unit in the same building. My broker heads to the office and fills out the paperwork and does what he needs to do with the deposit. The next day my broker rushes a certified check down to the office of Croman with the first and last month’s rent. Croman gave away the apartment. Apparently a deposit with an application doesn’t mean anything? My broker describes to me a scenario where whoever throws down the cash first wins. I am stuck with a certified check in limbo. Not everyone has $ 3,000 kicking around that can just be frozen in space time. That certified check came from my Father who thinks we are dealing with the mob. APARTMENT TWO LOST.
3) Croman requested all of this money at different times without providing one legal document and or receipt. I know when things move this fast it’s hard to provide written documents but all I have is my broker’s word. This entire thing would be much less sketchy if just once I saw terms on ANY document.
4) If Croman can’t even put me in an apartment they won’t be to helpful once I’m there. Don’t waste your time with these people who waste your time and get your hopes up.

I was supposed to move into one of the apartments on 18^th street. like all the other review said — they are super nice to you before you move in. and the broker was very patient, and very nice. as soon as we gave them the check, they turned into a-​holes. not only did they tell us we had to pay the last month’s rent in addition to the security deposit (they told us before it would only be 1 month plus security deposit) — but they also informed us over and over again that it would be a safe apartment for 2 young girls — that was a lie. I talked to one of the neighbors, and it turns out that the apartment had just been burglarized. that’s why it was empty, and that’s why the neighbors were moving out. it had as well as the one beneath it. now trying to get our money back, but as the other reviews state — it is absolutely impossible to get in touch with anyone.

We just made the mistake of moving in with croman and 9300 this month, and within the few short weeks we’ve lived here we’re trying to get out.
We saw the apt when it was fully gutted, and the broker assured us our apartment would look as our neighbors when finished (exposed brick, working fireplace, etc). Now while we couldn’t rely on a broker to be honest, when agents of 9300 and croman repeatedly assured us that our paint on our brick would be removed prior to move in, and the giant ramp across our living room (to enter the basement from outside) would be built into usable space (ie storage etc), these WERE material misrepresentations upon which we relied when agreeing to $ 2900 a month for our first year and $ 3150 the next (for a very small one bedroom).
After moving in and seeing that neither of these two promises were made (my boyfriend did not force them to put it in writing as hes very trusting, and i’m not on the lease nor was present for the signing), I did go to law school, so pursued the issues with 9300/​croman. Our building manager came with the contractor and said that when we left for vacation later this month they would remove the paint, and build a box over the ramp. She also said that we would have to board our dogs as no one can be present for the process, instead of having our friend stay and watch them for free.
Upon landing in the Dominican Republic, we receive a text from our building manager stating that she didnt get approval to remove the paint, so it wouldnt be done. Needless to say this ruined our vacation, and i relentlessly pursued the issue with various emails to steven and harriet croman containing legal speak such as «MATERIAL MISREPRESENTATIONS» «DUTIES OF EMPLOYERS FOR EXPLICIT PROMISES MADE BY AGENTS» etc etc…
Instead of replying, Harriet kept forwarding my emails to our building manager, who replied to me with completely arbitrary responses («I never said the fireplace worked»…ok, who the F said you did and what does that have to do with my point??? I replied utilizing caps to emphasize my points regarding the ramp and paint removal, and apologized that apparently i must make my points VERY basic and easy to distinguish and understand), never denying the promises they made and broke. Finally my boyfriend wrote Harriet that as a business owner he would never ignore a client, and its extremely unprofessional and insulting, to which she replied to ME rather than my boyfriend who wrote the email (nor was i CC’ed) that our building manager is the one who deals with issues re repairs… oh? because she stated she didnt get authorization to remove the paint, and you are the employer of the agent at 9300 who made the explicit promise, so our remedy lies SPECIFICALLY and SOLELY with you Mrs. Croman!
Upon return we see that they built a box about 2 feet higher than the enormous ramp, with mismatching wood, doors in front so that if we DID try to use the box for storage anythign would fall right out, and about 4 inches farther into our living room, essentially getting rid of our living room space entirely.
Our neighbors all have exposed brick (as the agent explicitly stated, «all our units have exposed brick») she has bars on her first floor windows facing the street (they refuse to provide. as a 95 lb female living alone half the time this strikes me as extremely dangerous. «well do your windows lock??» «yes, but a brick will still go through them.»), no ladder to reach our loft as our neighbor was provided, etc. etc. etc.
It took them 4 tries to fix our heater and our buzzer still does not work. They are now trying to charge us for the removal of the JOKE box they built, refuse to give us credit in rent for the fortune wasted on unnecessary dog boarding, and have essentially made it clear they will not be fulfilling any of the promises made prior and subsequent to signing our 2 year lease. Our neighbors are also loud middle aged overweight women, which would be neither here nor there, were it not for the fact that they yell loudly in the halls at 3 am (i’m sorry if you’re middle aged you shouldnt have freaking roommates. how tragic).
Additionally, as other reviews stated, you CANNOT get ahold of anyone, they don’t even ask you to hold before they just click you into someone arbitrary’s voicemail box, who will NEVER return your call. AVOID AT ALL COSTS! Wish we had.

***This is your OFFICIAL warning****
Keep in mind, all of the other comments above are true.
I worked as a real estate agent in Manhattan for 6 years, I also recently moved out of an apartment owned by Croman/​9300 realty.
Understand that if a company operates under 2 different names, it is most likely to hide the fact that one of the names has a stained reputation.
This is absolutely 100% the worst management company/​landlord you can ever get involved with in Manhattan.
Small/​overpriced apartment with amenities that seem great but do not be fooled. Washer/​Dryer — amazing, DOESNT WORK!
Everything in the apartment will stop working and guess what, no one will come to fix it, ever…
Go ahead and call 212−228−9300, the receptionist will transfer you and you will get a voicemail, no one will ever return your call. It is almost as if the receptionist is instructed to forward any calls directly to a voicemail that automatically erases the message.
They will send you late charges every month even if you pay the rent on time, and guess what, when you want to have that late charged removed it will take hours of work just to fix your bill.
They are cheaters, liars, theifs and criminals.
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Here is the best part. When it is time for you to move out, they will require you provide a set of keys 30 days in advance so that brokers can start to show your apartment. If you do not provide the keys you lose your deposit.
Even when you tell them it is not a good time, they show up anyway. They take the keys and let themselves in as if they live there. I had about 20 arguments with these brokers saying I never gave permission, get out of my apartment! I literally grabbed the key from this woman and took it back.
I had several neighbors complain that they had been robbed when they were away. Really? Are you suprised? Any jerk off the street can walk into that office and take the keys to your apartment — literally anyone. All they have to do is say they spoke to you, oh ok, here is the keys, go crazy.
Now when I am trying to get my deposit back, forget about it. They will put you through hell and back just hoping you will give up so that they can keep your money.
DO NOT RENT FROM CROMAN/​9300, THE BIGGEST MISTAKE YOU COULD EVER MAKE IN YOUR LIFE. THESE PEOPLE ARE SOULLESS AND EVIL.
DO NOT BE FOOLED, the second you sign your lease they own you. They will not fix anything, they will not help with mice or roaches, the water pressure in the buildings suck, and they will literally aid criminals in attempts to rob your apartment — here are the keys even though we have no idea who you are. Go walk into a our tenants apartment without any notice. THEY DONT CARE ABOUT YOU, YOUR PRIVACY OR YOUR LIVING CONDITIONS.
AVOID AT ALL COST OR YOU WILL BE SORRY YOU DID NOT HEED MY WARNING.
Please for the love of god, do not rent from 9300/​Croman
(two different names, how is that not a scam!)

My boyfriend and I fell in love with this gorgeous apartment. Our realtor was so thorough and did not seem to be over selling at all until we went to the office to fill out an application for a credit check. All of a sudden we were being pushed into signing a lease, no credit check, and the rent went up a thousand dollars from what we had originally been told.
We thought about it for two days and decided to offer a lower price on the rent to them. They seemed to accept it and called multiple times during the day to secure the deal. They were so pushy that we became suspicious, yeah, I know, as if there hadn’t been several bright red flags earlier. We decided to look them up on Unilocal and city search. Thank god for all the reivews.
We texted our realtor that we’d done some research on the company and weren’t interested in renting from them. Poof, they were gone. I don’t think that had been the first time they’d heard those words.

I don’t even want to give them one star to be honest. I cannot stand them! I know that this city is full of slumlords, but they take the cake. It’s too bad I love their properties. I recently moved out of one of their apartments a few months ago. It was beautiful. In this economy and recession, they tried to increase my rent had I resigned the lease. I did not. When I told them that I was moving, they began to bargain with me, lowering the rent significantly. It was too late, I had already signed with Stuy Town.
They were terrible in management of their property to top it off. I believe we had been living with mold for months before finally moving out. They never answered their messages when there were problems within the building or apartments either. They are hands down the most neglectful management company in the city. Steer clear of these A-​holes!

yeah… when I returned from a weekend late one Sunday evening to find a broker in my aparment with some prospective renters I freaked out. As a young woman in the city living alone, it’s not acceptable to show an apartment late at night WITHOUT notice! WTF?! Also, another sunday, I came home and my door was unlocked, I thought someone had broken in, turns out a broker had shown my apartment, not notified me and left the door open/​unlocked. They also took 5 ½ months to return my security deposit. I had to get my lawyer involved. DO NOT RENT A CROMAN PROPERTY

Don’t do it! Same as 9300 Realty Company. Everyone there is worthless. Try getting someone to answer a phone call. Try subletting (they lose all your paperwork), try getting ANYTHING fixed. Oh, and when I gave notice that I was not renewing, they showed my apartment about 10 times without notifying me… not even a phone call. Just random brokers would come into my place with potential tenants. Also, the front door was always broken and my door locked broke as well. They told me to call a locksmith to handle it, that they don’t fix locks. Really, I pay rent, but you can’t secure the building or my apartment? Total slumlords… bottom feeders.

CAVEAT EMPTOR!
Same as 9300 Realty. See reviews.
In short summary, great properties and decent brokers. The people will work hard to get you into the apartments. Once ink is on paper, it is nearly impossible to make them properly manage the property correctly.
I’ve been calling everyday since I moved in to have some simple problems addressed. I am told the same thing, that «some one will come out tomorrow.» It’s been 3 months.
I will take this down whenever it gets fixed.