Westminster City Living in New York
Site: https://westminsternyc.com/
- Monday:9AM–7PM
- Tuesday:9AM–7PM
- Wednesday:9AM–7PM
- Thursday:9AM–7PM
- Friday:9AM–6PM
- Saturday:10AM–4PM
- Sunday:10AM–4PM
Not only was the management team helpless about a major rat infestation in our building, but they were also incredibly misleading and dishonest with our money. Beware that they will try to squeeze as much money as they can out of you far after your lease signing. Our lease began a week after the months start, and we were guaranteed a prorated rent of only 3 weeks out of the first month. A few months later, they completely went against their promise, claiming that we underpaid and owed them an entire. Luckily, at the time of our lease signing, I insisted that the portfolio manager (who is either conveniently forgetful or grossly corrupt) write out his guarantee in an email, so I was able to use this to disprove their lie that they had never made such a guarantee.They also assured me during my lease signing that because my realtor had wrongly listed the application fee as $150 instead of the real price of $200/application ($200 per app, really? My new management company did it for $75) they would only charge me the amount promised by my realtor. Not surprisingly, they later took the additional $50 per application out of my security deposit.Finally, when we moved in, the apartment came with a window AC unit. It was advertised as a perk of the apartment. When we moved out, they tried charging us hundreds of dollars for leaving behind the same AC that they had left in the apartment when we moved in.
Ive been waiting since I moved in four months ago to have a simple maintenance issue attended to and now the problems are piling up. Broken toilet, washing machine, fan, lock, and sink. Cannot get a hold of anyone from management, EVER. Wish I read the reviews before I signed a lease. If you can help it, rent from somewhere else.
This is a very unprofessional and unethical management company. They refer everything to their manager or financial department and you can never reach them. I lived in this place for about a year, when I moved in the lighting system was completely dysfunctional and the toilet was leaking. They answer the phone and listen to your complain but do not react. I fixed everything with my own expenses. There were holes in the walls from the previous tenant TV bracket and the entrance door was not opening completely. The only process that went smoothly with this company was when they collect the security deposit and the first month rent. It took me about 4 month to receive my security deposit back. The first two month they were not investigating the issue, because “it is normal” for them to send the security deposit within two month. I called them several times then after, till they realized they sent the check to a Massachusetts address with a New York zip code, and the check was returned. They usually do not respond to emails. They are rude to their tenants and not helpful when you need assistance.
Its generous to give this company one star. Im conflicted with what to write about first - the gaping hole in our bathroom ceiling that leaked urine and dirty water that was left for 6 weeks while we were unable to get a response? Or the rampant rat problem in the courtyard? Despite sending multiple emails to management and getting redirected in the office to different people, I havent received a response or acknowledgement. Im not one to write reviews but, when rats come into the laundry room while Im in there I had to make this public. Its completely unacceptable.
This folks are extremely unprofessional. Could not be less satisfied with the service that had provided us. They love to throw random fees at you, anything they can do to get a buck out of you. Moving out, they charged us for furniture left, in which the new tenants requested that we keep it in the apartment for them, in which Westminster knew of, as well as charging a slick processing fee for them to give your security deposit back. Took them 2+ months to provide the security deposit back and most likely would have taken longer, or we would have not gotten it back, if we didnt call every week and stop at their office. Waste of time. Do not do business with these people.
I lived at their 500 E 11th St property for a few years, and the only reason I stayed that long is because of inertia. The super is very unresponsive, and it can take weeks to get urgent problems fixed. The leasing company is unresponsive too, and it’s staffed by rude and unprofessional employees who don’t care about tenant relations. Also, the walls are paper thin and you can hear almost everything that happens in your neighbors’ apartment, not to mention all the street noise on the weekends and at night (e.g., garbage trunks, honking cars, etc).
Awful management, our deposit has not been returned after 60 days. No one is responding to when the cheques are being sent. Their excuse? We had a lot of moves out in the last month. Its been 2 months. While I was living there, the garbage area was overflowing to the point that you cant even walk to the chute. There was always sanitary notices from the city. Fun fact they are also owned by the Kushner family (Google it). FYI, theres also a 250$ move out fee (non-refundable). They wont tell you that till you do the credit check and stuff though.
The most horrible housing experience ive ever experienced in my life. My house flooded 5 times and they did nothing. Took literally 30 days to get into contact with the property manager and even then they did not care. All of my stuff is ruined and there is mold in my walls. Disgusting people, truly.
Truly an awful business. We went without heat for all of January, February, and March, and they did very little to resolve this despite many many calls, emails, and personal visits to their office. They refused to reduce our rent even though its a violation of the warrant of habitability (look it up if you ever have a bad landlord situation). The only reason we didnt outright sue is because we couldnt afford it. The building was also infested with bedbugs, which they, again, did very little to manage; we were pretty sure the bugs were coming from within the building but they just did not care. DO NOT LIVE HERE! BUG-INFESTED DUMP WITH TERRIBLE MANAGEMENT!
If zero stars was an option....These people are incompetent at every level. Ive lived at a Westminster apartment for 9 months and not a single soul has ever answered the phone. Its a sham of a company. We have mice and nobody will do anything. Everything thats broken has gone unfixed. Well be sure to file our buildings uninhabitable status with the city.
I never write reviews but was so compelled to let people know about the living conditions that they provide and their management style.I lived in their apartment for one year and experienced cockroaches, mice and bed bugs. The pest control company that they contract has terrible reviews and do not deliver their promises. Westminster fails to communicate properly and does not care about their tenants. DO NOT RENT ANY OF THIER APARTMENTS. I have never experienced such poor customer service and disregard for other human beings.
This management company is a disgrace. I live at 89 Hicks in Brooklyn. The US postal service notified them April 2016 that they must replace the mailboxes because they are hazardous. I nor any of the tenants were aware till the letter carrier brought this to our attention in November of 2016th. The letter carrier said she legally had to stop delivering mail to our building. Our management company had notice and never attempted to resolve the issue. We stopped receiving mail In Jan of 2017. Westminster told us to purchase a PO box if we were concerned about not receiving our mail until they fixed the boxes. However, they have still not fixed the boxes and now the US postal service is sending all mail back to the sender for anything addressed to our building. Once I was informed about this by the letter carrier in November I told the management company and they said not to worry they will still deliver the mail. However, that is not the case.
I live in a Westminster building in the east village. I was woken to to gun shots being fired in the lobby on New Year’s Eve (technically day). I was absolutely terrified!!Very long story short, when I called the leasing office to inquire about terminating my lease early do to zero security in the building (cameras don’t work, etc) and I fear for my life, the leasing office manager was extremely rude. He was defensive and showed zero sympathy.I’m still in absolute shock at the shooting and how Westminster has handled the situation.This review is to warn of the safety issues in Westminsters buildings as I do not want my experience to happen to anyone else...
I have never in my life written a review about a company, brand, service, etc. but I hope this will save someone the time, expenses and frustration Ive dealt with over the last two years. My time with Westminster in the East Village started out ok except for the fact that my apt wasnt clean prior to move in (like mud in the tub and construction dust on every flat surface). I gave it a pass and hired a cleaner myself because I figured it wasnt worth causing an issue at a place where I would live for two years and honestly Im not one to start issues - I would rather pay to have it fixed. I then found out that there was no gas in the building, there hadnt been for 6+ months and there was no estimate of when it would be on. This is something I should have been informed of when I signed my lease but at a minimum when I picked up my keys. Things quickly began spiraling. Rats. Garbage piled in the halls. Roaches everywhere. Dozens and dozens of emails and calls that Westminster refused to return. No gas for over 9 months. Construction beginning at 6 am. Stolen mail and packages. Sewage in my water. Constant water and electrical outtages. A hole in my ceiling that wasnt repaired after 15 requests. Consistent staff turnover (so you could never get in touch with anyone who you had spoken to before). A stove that has never worked. And that was all in the first year.I could write a novel about this but I finally had to get a lawyer and go through the time and expense of legal negotiations just to get a response from these guys. This may sound completely naive but for $3000 rent on a studio apt and just generally being a decent human, I couldnt believe it took legal action to get a singular response from the company that was meant to be managing my building. Once Westminster had a court order to repair the issues in my apartment (leaking toilet, hole in the ceiling that has been there 2 years and a stove that has never once worked in 2 years), they still didnt fix the issues. I am finally finished with my time there even my last two weeks have been a nightmare as they have misplaced my lease, pushed me out a month early and then tried to make me stay that extra month because they havent rented the place out yet. I had to engage a lawyer yet again in my last month here and he pointed out multiple flat out lies in the communication I had received from Westminster.I honestly have never dealt with such incompetent, corrupt, unethical and dishonest behavior in my life. I understand that the housing demand in NYC means that my apt will be rented out quickly and some other person will likely begin a period of their life they will always look back on with a sour stomach. But if you are at all on the fence, PLEASE spare yourself the frustration Im sure you will deal with. If I could go back and change it all, I cannot put into words how different the last two years of my life would have been.
Unfortunately working for them you have to be a certain type of person and unfortunately I didnt fit that profile. You have to have a strong constitution stomach-wise not have a fear rodents when working with garbage not have a problem working in all elements of weather and also be very mobile and of course have a strong stomach because there is limited bathroom access. And in some cases depending on your route you may not have a bathroom or a place to sit down to eat or change your clothes after having dealing with garbage all day. So thats why I only give it three stars it wasnt good for me. But maybe its good for somebody else to work. Because like I said I dont fit the profile.
I recently moved in to a Westminster apartment. And I couldnt have asked for a better team to deal with. They helped me accommodate on the date I wanted to move in. The leasing team had done a great job in finding whats best within my criteria. I have also noted how they clean their buildings are kept!
193 Avenue A is a mouse infested apartment! Westminster refuses to fix the problem. They also have refused to fix our keyless entry and buzzer. Do not rent with these fraudulent people.
Rented with them, terrible experience. They are never reachable. They never pick up or call back. Hard NO on dealing with them.
So happy that my lease is finally up with these people. I had an absolutely terrible experience. Maintenance is slow, the leasing officers generally do not care. WOULD NOT RECOMMEND
EXTREMELY POOR MANAGEMENT!!!!! Most of the time they ignore your email, without ever getting back to you on the matter until you call and demand assistance. They take excessively long to get things done. And its taken 65 days and counting for them to return the security deposit (reasonable time frame in New York courts is 21-45 days). Get your sh together and do your jobs!
We make the biggest mistake by signing with this agency. Without the manager Kevin coming into the picture, none of our emails will ever get any response. We havent even got a copy of the lease 3 MONTHS into moving in, which we were promised would be mailed to us within a month. This place is totally understaffed! And unqualified!
The most unprofessional, disrespectful, and incompetent company I have ever dealt with in my life. Stay far, far away. Does anyone know how to get in touch with top management? I am trying to file a complaint against the so-called leasing agent I have had the displeasure of dealing with.
Horrible, unresponsive, cant get them to talk to me. Also, we were robbed twice in the building in 3 months (one where the suspect also LIVED there, but they couldnt do anything about it, and once where my roommate was followed home and attached because theres no door security). Lived in Astoria.
Dont rent any of 234, 236, 238 East33 rd St properties. The con ed meters are illegally jumped for the building use and the management refuses to fix. Con Ed told me about the issue their inspectors found and said only thing they can do is disconnect service and the building management company does not fix the issueMy bill is always over $275 monthly!
Dawn Norvell Mankovitch wrote this and she is a manager: Completely support Officer Zimmerman. These men and women put their lives in danger every single day to protect us from harm with the amount of pay that an non college education person receives for managing a Wawa ect... Thank you Mr. Zimmerman for doing what you do! #whitelivesmatter #thankourmenandwomeninthepoliceforce #policeshouldbepaidmore
I lived at 325 E. 10th St. If you dont care about human rights, privacy rights, theft, harassment, sexual assault, intimidation, illegal practices, illegal leases, sewage backup, roaches, ants, contaminated water then you will be fine.
Unprofessional and lack of care. Does not handle pest control/ bed bug complaints/ or facilities issues. Very unorganized and sends incorrect and auto generated information via email.
This is the worst organisation that anyone could deal with so beware! They have not returned a deposit that was due to be returned at the end of June and it is now the end of September. Their properties are poorly renovated and they are VERY unprofessional .
How you treat your most vulnerable tenants speaks volumes on your ethics.... Westminster are appalling.
Absolute slumlord. It’s a shame that the city of NYC allows them to operate. Disgusting organization.
Do not live at their properties. The only thing they do is collect rent. They do not listen or respond to normal tenant maintenance .
Dont make the same mistake that we made: avoid this company. Unprofessional, uncaring and in-general a bit of a rip-off.
Resident for 5 years. Absolutely Terrible. Don’t ever rent with them.
Dont rent from this company.
This building is illegal to live in. If you rent here you are breaking the law!
Non-responsive landlord, buildings in terrible condition.
Spare yourself. Not worth it. They are not good landlords.
The most incompetent collection of individuals I have ever witnessed.
Scum.
Incompetence at its finest!
Total reviews rating 1.3
50 Reviews for Westminster City Living 2023:
Review №1
2021-12-08*Just move on and find another apartment.*I have leased apartments since I was 18 years old in multiple cities across the country and I am 32. Never have I been so disappointed with service and how they manage a business with their disgruntled employees.The people managing the office have little to no care about people.Unresponsive.Disorganized.I could say a long list of things and I think my rating says enough. Don’t lease here unless you are desperate and want to put up with a horrid experience.My recommendation is to find another apartment that is not ran by this company.
Review №2
2022-06-01Included some photos from my experience living here from 2020-2021. Took over 6 months for management to make any repairs to the ceiling. I tried to communicate the issue and shared these photos with them at the time but it took weeks to get a response. Id send 4-5 emails without hearing back and whenever I called they told me to email lol. It was honestly a nightmare and Id recommend people stay away from this company. I was naïve and figured It cant be that bad even after reading some of the poor reviews theyd had in the past. Learned a few lessons there and hope sharing my experience can help others avoid the frustration I endured.
Review №3
2021-05-04DO NOT RENT AN APARTMENT WITH THIS COMPANY! This is my first review on Google because Ive never felt so compelled to write a bad review. Where to begin?1. I had a horrible leak on my roof starting in December that was not repaired until May (see pictures). Ceiling was literally collapsing.2. My sofa and rug were completely damaged with mold.3. My washer/drier unit has not been working for 3 months and I still have not heard about when it will be fixed.4. Water in the kitchen and bathroom were coming out brown and cold5. Super would not respond for clogged toilet so had to pay $200 for a plumber to do it.I have been trying to get a hold of management since December and only until late April was I responded to because I went there in person and actually got a hold of someone in charge. I sent emails, made calls, went in person, only to get no response or Ill get back to you when I went in person.Do not waste your money. Apartments are the size of a closet and also smell weird.
Review №4
2022-01-11DO NOT LIVE HERE. We signed a year long lease with them in May 2020. Thus far we’ve had issues with the heat and with the plumbing. The boiler is apparently broken so the heating cycles in a way that doesn’t always keep the building at the legally required temperature (68 degrees), and our bathtub drain is currently not draining & coughing up black grit. The management doesn’t seem to care at all about this and are not even in their office because of omicron (it’s not like they wore masks in there anyway so I’m sure they don’t actually care). The superintendent is overworked and frustrated. Parts of both of our next door neighbors’ ceilings have fallen in at some point. Terrible quality living for such a high price point ($3100/month).
Review №5
2021-11-18I wish I could give 0 stars. We have been living in an apartment from them since August and since then we have had countless packages stolen, my bike stolen, our mailbox broken into, the front door shattered, the list goes on. The cameras in the lobby are non-functioning and they refuse to fix. Also, the door can be pushed open without a key. It is completely unsafe and the management refuses to do anything about it. I have lived in this neighborhood for years and have NEVER felt unsafe until moving into this apartment. The management does not make an attempts to make it safer and for what we are paying it is very low value. The only nice thing I have to say is about our Super who is very responsive, caring, and generous. He is a stand up guy and I only hope Westminster treats him well.
Review №6
2021-12-17DO NOT RENT WITH THESE PEOPLE!I wish I could give negative stars. I lived at 500 East 11th street for a year and it was the worst living experience I have ever had in New York City. I moved out in august but a conversation with a friend made me feel obligated to leave this review.First, I had pretty much every pest issue under the sun (multiple mice, cockroaches etc) it was so unsanitary it honestly felt unsafe to live there. The mice got so bad that I had to call an outside exterminator myself because the management company is so unresponsive. That exterminator told me I was not allowed to use them because the building had one that comes every other week. I was then forced to live with my friend until the building exterminator’s scheduled visit (since there was no way of getting in touch with westminster), which seemed to fix the problem for MAYBE a month. SO DISGUSTING.Second, the walls are PAPER THIN. In my bedroom, it sounded as if my neighbors were in the same room. Even if they were just talking at a normal volume, I could make out entire conversations.Finally - not that I was EVER planning to renew my lease with these people…they tried to raise my rent $800 which is COMICAL. I received a Covid discount and that was even wayy too much. You could not pay me to move back there. I also noticed they straight up lie on street easy about the rent. The amount they had for what I rented was definitely not accurate.I wish I had read reviews before signing my lease and hope this helps other people in the future.
Review №7
2021-07-27This is worst experience I have ever dealt with when it comes to landlords. They do not answer phone calls or emails regarding work orders for your apartment. Their so called hours of operation is false. They sometimes close earlier then intended. This is just my experience and hope there are tenants that do habe a good rapport with them. Just wish I did. I called the office about 5 times today and no one answered yet on their page it says they open from 9 to 7. If I could give a negative star rating I would but a 1 star is my rating for this company and that will never change.
Review №8
2020-09-02Where to begin... Unprofessional and does not care about tenants.Had leaks coming through the ceiling for +2 weeks before management resolved the issue.Hot water continually stopped and would rely on the super--they never completely resolved this issue.Most work orders submitted online are ignored.Management LOST security deposit.Management does not listen to complaints about residents who leave trash in stairwells.Associates claimed to not have time for their tenants--saw in an email chain which I was cced on.
Review №9
2020-11-22Awful slumlords—currently living in one of their properties and have lost hot water for a few days at least 4 times a month since being here. totally unresponsive—management nor super will respond to calls or emails. we have been here four months and have not received a smoke detector, access to the buzzer, a chainlock for our door (supposed to be fixed before move-in) and have been forced to deal with constant leaks from dishwasher and NO HOT WATER ALMOST HALF OF THE TIME!!! they have time and time again betrayed their part of the lease. such a mistake renting from these kushner-owned slime balls. counting down the days until move-out
Review №10
2017-05-08We had a rocky start and end with the company, but Jacob personally helped us with a replacement fridge when ours was broken for a few months. Then he continued to handle any issues we had with the studio. Honestly, I dont think anyone else actually works or cares about the tenants in this company except Jacob. He truly saved our first renting experience in the city and we are grateful for the time and effort he put into making our studio a home.Westminster is a walk-up, modern rental company with no fee apartments. Overall, we were satisfied with this company and would recommend renting one of their updated apartments.Disclaimer: BE SURE TO TAKE A PICTURE OF ALL CHECKS PROVIDED TO WESTMINSTER UPON SIGNING YOUR LEASE.Westminster wasnt able to locate the certified check we provided for our security deposit because it was lost in their accounts. Therefor, we would not receive our security deposit back unless we could provide an image of the check. After calling various banks we were able to secure an image of the 3 checks required upon signing the lease. We are still pending our security deposit refund from Westminster.