Dunbar Apartments

I’ve lived in the Dunbar for the past year. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. Here’s a list of issues:
* some days I wake up to no heat or hot water.
**there are days when there is a sign that the hot water will be off, but it’s always off ahead of schedule. So if it says 7am, the water is off at 5am.
*the hallways smell very bad & are always dirty.
*people leave strollers and wheelchairs in the hallways as if it’s storage.
*during the winter the heat is never consistently on. The heat goes on and off. The management company claims the heat is based on the temperature outside. But there’s been times when it was 10 degrees outside and no heat, so I doubt that explanation is legit.
*there are loud noises which sound like gunshots, but I’ve been told it’s firecrackers. Firecrackers during the winter? This makes no sense. the loud noises are actually going on as I write this.
*the older residents some who have lived here for 20+ years have told me that the new management is pushing them out and trying to evict them.
*the only way to get an apartment is through the shitty Bohemian realty who charge you 15% of the annual rent. If you want to pay that, pay it for something much more decent.
*there was a dead mouse in the lobby.
*people scream, yell, fight and argue in the courtyard at all hours of the night, the security does nothing.
*on the weekends there is trash all up and down the courtyard and in front of the buildings. A rug and air conditioner sat in front of my building for weeks.
*closer to 7^th avenue in the summer there are smelly fruit that fall from the trees and smell horrid. If you step on them you will smell like sh*t all day. I’m not sure why they aren’t cleaned up daily. You don’t know you’ve walked into it until you smell it.
*last but not least, some of the units have reported cases of bedbugs.

^^^^ If you still live in Dunbar please feel free to contact me. My name is Rayshawn Stephens. I thought I was alone with the struggle of having my mother’s apartment fixed. I can be contacted at 203−953−2222 or @
. I’ll be filing a complaint with NYC. Hope to hear from you soon.

They’re trying to bring new light to Dunbar Apartments… but they’re mostly failing.
This 1920s Rockefellar-​built complex does not live up to its Historic Landmark status — not with the trash thrown all over the ground, the constant yelling of «Yo!» up at windows instead of using the intercom system like civilized people, and noise at all hours of the day (and night sometimes, too).
The courtyard area is nice, but the sound reverberates everywhere causing almost-​constant sound coming in to your home from all angles. First floor apartments have to deal with blaring sounds from the door buzzer and slamming front doors, which never stay fixed. Shady pot smokers duck in the staircases sometimes and it seems many people don’t have jobs.
There are some kind, old-​school Harlem neighbors, too. But it’s the loud, inconsiderate, and oblivious ones that ruin the whole place.
When someone moves out, they paint, throw in some new things, make the walls look nice with crown molding, and jack up the prices so only educated people can afford to live there. Stainless steel appliances aren’t going to save this place. Especially with a management company, currently Affordable Apartment Management Corp, that neglects maintenance requests (They say you’ll hear back after 24 – 48 hours, but that’s BS. I’m going on 3 weeks and nothing.)
Sure, the rent is cheap and it’s no fee, but the question is, is it worth it?
Edit: Confirmed drug dealers. Have the 32^nd Precinct on speed dial.
Edit: 2014. Things have improved a bit. New owners/​management. Let’s face it. It’s still the hood.