Tenant Reviews for 95 WALL STREET

2015 REVIEW: pros and cons (hope this is helpful, yours truly,Alexis). PROS: 1. staff do their jobs 2. cool modern lounge 3. fancy shmancy lobby (looks a bit like modern russian design because of all the red & gold). 4. nice small studio gym 5. close to many trains 6. 24 hour Duane Reade & a Starbucks around the corner 7. clean building 8. nice chandeliers in every kitchen 9. breakfast in the lounge on weekdays 10. if you need a 420+dealer just ask ANY neighbor. 11. washer & dryer in every apt (good enough for basics). 12. young atmosphere (definitely not a place for children, or anyone over 50...see cons below) CONS: 1. HIGH YEARLY RENT INCREASE they raise the rent every year an average of 7-14%, basically non-negotiable. the higher end during the spring and summer. 2. ELECTRICITY BILL HIGH the electricity bill for some reason is 30% more then any other building i lived in the city. you do not pay con-ed directly here. it's electricity in bulk. so yes you pay for the lights in the lobby, gym, lounge and hallways as well. plus there's a hidden fee in there somewhere too. 3.WINDOWS LEAK the windows leak in cold and hot air in EVERY apt. again, expect a high electricity bill. 4. COLLEGE DORM FEELING at least 50 apts if not more, are rented out to college students (3-5 students per apt). most have bunkbeds. yes it's ridiculous, but half the building is that way if not more. management is well aware. wall dividers can be put up in every unit for a fee of $1000. tons of students, colleges lease out units and collect payment directly from the students. also models living in the building, mostly guys, no one close to being hot, so don't get excited. they actually live 6-8 models in a studio in bunkbeds too. poor models :( 5. HIGH OCCUPANCY the occupancy per apt is definitely a housing violation, 2-4 roomates in a studio, probably more in the bigger apts. 6. NO FULL REGULAR OVENS there are no full ovens that i know of in any apt, only microwave size ovens. forget about cooking for more then one person at a time. 7. SMOKE & 420 every floor has smokers, you can smell it, walls are VERY thin. like most nyc buildings, drug dealers are in and out of this building, they should just open a store here haha. 8. SLOW ELEVATORS elevators are really slow, because of the high over-occupancy in the building. especially morning hours. 9. GYM CROWDED the studio gym is really crowded after 5pm. about 7 tred-mills for the 100 college gals living here haha. 10. NO NIGHTLIFE no night life or any nice restaurants in the area. ok, maybe 2 or 3 decent old bars. 11. EXPENSIVE GROCERIES grocery around the area is VERY expensive...hey, it's manhattan. 12. EXPENSIVE LAUNDRY SERVICE laundry services in the building valet are are very high, to be expected. 13. CROWDED LOUNGE lounge over flooded with students, duh..bec they're overcrowded in their apts. 14. COMPLAINTS & VIOLATIONS the NYPD should open an office in this building with the number of noise complaints, drug issues, fights, and other "legal issues"...whatever you would expect on a college campus. i'm a lawyer so i can make a living here. 15. TRANSPORTATION yes there are trains here, but at night you need to take a taxi everywhere. so living in downtown is not ideal. taxis are going to cost you. This area is full of tourists too bec of south st seaport and the stock exchange. 16. DARK APARTMENTS unless you live on one of the high floors facing Water Street then your lights will be on ALL the time. The building is surrounded by tall buildings really close so obviously you have little light and thus more money to spend on electricity. Also, apts facing Water St are higher rent. When they show you the apts notice all the lights are on! 17. PET FEE pet fee is $500 18. ADDITIONAL FEES - around an additional $100+ a month. Registration fee, water, gas, home renters insurance, and other fees that pop up. Late rent fee is high, shocker. 19. IN-HOME WASHER & DRYER take up a lot of water and take forever to dry your clothes. literally hours, and are very small. 20. HOT WATER SHUT DOWN & SLOW Just this year there were approximately 3-4 hot water shutdowns. In the mornings shower water takes time to heat up. maybe because everyone is showering at the same time. Still for the high rent, this shouldn't happen. 21. Yearly Amenity Fee: $350 Average small 500 sqft studio is $3000 a month before electricity, water, gas, cable, phone, internet, and other small "hidden fees" (you can easily add $500 to that).

My lease is ending and I decided to check out other buildings in the neighborhood. I have a friend who's one of the owners of this building and currently has an apartment here and also have another friend who lived in this building for 2 years and moved out 5 months ago. They have sins on the building and in front to stop in and see the availabilities in the leasing office. I walked through the lobby and was stopped by the "concierge" at the front desk. He asked me to wait while he dealt with a food delivery, asked me for my name and where I was going. I told him I wanted to see one bedrooms and had a friend who used to live there and also knew one of the owners who lives in the building. He asked who my friends were, I told him my friends names and apartment numbers. He told me my friend moved out over a year ago. I said no, my friend moved out 5 months ago but what did it matter? I have another friend who lives here and I want to see apartments. He looked at me and said - "take a hike" Really?! I asked for his name and he looked down and just said "please leave!" And pointed to the door. I walked out very angry and started looking at another building down the block. Afterwards, I called the leasing office and spoke to AJ who was very friendly. I told her I was looking for a one bed, one bath, and looking to spend under $4500. She told me she had one available for $3750. After scheduling the viewing, I told her about what had happened 30 minutes prior and she was in shock. Afterwards, I was walking back to the building and saw a porter at the back door helping some people roll a cart with groceries in. I walked in and asked him what the concierges name was. The porter asked me to close the door first. I told him that the people he just helped were still bringing groceries into the building and had their car parked in front of the door. He asked me to close it anyway so I closed it and continued to ask him the name of the person at the front desk. Before I knew it, the front desk ran to the back where I was talking to the porter and pushed me towards the front desk threatening to call the cops. As he called the cops, I asked him for his name and he refused to give it to me. (He was a very tall Russian guy, maybe 6'5 with short hair) I then called AJ in leasing who came downstairs to settle the problem. He then tried to weasel out of it by telling AJ that I was claiming to have keys and lived in the building but he didn't recognize me so wanted me to leave. I asked the concierge again what his name was because I also happen to know one of the owners of the building on a personal level. When he heard it, he looked down and walked away into the package room behind the front desk until AJ gave me a floor plan for the listing we spoke about and told me she would have the director reach out to me and that they would take care of the situation that occurred; and then I left. When I left, I saw her arguing with the concierge. It's a shame how they want to treat prospective tenants and friends of current tenants/owners. I highly doubt I would move into this building after what I saw and how I was treated or if I were to move in, I would make that concierges life a living hell. I'm definitely going to have a lot to say to the director and also to my friend who's a part owner of the building in order to make sure that the front desk staff member is dealt with properly.

I've only lived here three weeks, but they have certainly not been pleasurable. The only saving grace is that the staff is very friendly. They're just wildly incompetent. Take, for example, move-in day. My boyfriend arrives with the movers who have our stuff at the front door, naturally as that's the only entrance we know of. The lady at the desk rudely tells him that they have to go in the back door and that he should know this already because it is "standard Manhattan practice". Having lived in Manhattan for years, I can tell you that it most certainly is NOT "standard Manhattan practice". Even in 'luxury' buildings, the standard practice is to reserve an elevator for move-in. That's the reason we called a couple days before to ask to reserve an elevator. When we called, instead of informing us that we must go in the back service entrance, the front desk person merely said that they do not take elevator reservations and hung up. So, after this awful encounter, my boyfriend travels to the service entrance only to find that there is someone else moving in and that he has "reserved the elevator". Needless to say, it was a nightmare. When we signed the lease, there were no building rules given to us. There were no pet rules. There were no package rules. There were no lounge or fitness center hours. There was no information about maintenance requests. There was no information about a painting policy. There was no information about concierge services. There wasn't even any information about signing up to pay rent online. Having all this in mind, let me give you another example. A few days after move-in, I got a VERY heavy package (about 80lbs) delivered. It was only about one square foot in size, but it was very tall. Obviously, I had an enormous amount of trouble moving it and, with much difficulty, took it to the first elevator I could get into. Now, keep in mind, this package only takes up one square foot of space because it was on its end. Later that day, I get an email that's a "reminder" that packages should be taken to the freight elevator because they can cause delays. Please explain to me how I was supposed to know that. Or how I was supposed to get the package to the freight elevator. If you would like to consider yourself a "luxury" building, you should drop off packages at the tenants door, especially if they're that heavy. Every other building I've lived in in the city has done this. Then the other night, I was in the lounge at 12:02, literally walking out the door when a man comes in and very rudely squawks at me that "the lounge is closed". Not only are the hours not posted anywhere, but I was clearly in the process of leaving. If you want the lounge to be closed, the lounge should have definitive hours. I don't appreciate being reprimanded for rules that don't exist. I've had to make two maintenance requests since I've been here and both have ended in disaster. The first time was because the light outside my apartment was burned out. The day I made the request, he fixed the light. Great, I thought. Except at exactly 9:01am the next morning while I'm still asleep, the same maintenance guy comes barging in my apartment, flipping lights on and off. I asked him what he was doing and he said he's looking for the light that's out. I told him that light's already fixed and it's outside my apartment. He quickly left. The second time was because the gasket on my bathtub drain was broken. I didn't want a repeat of what happened last time, so I marked "By Appointment Only" for the 1-5pm time slot. But of course, at 9:04am, in comes a maintenance worker. Thank god we have walls because if this had been a studio and he barged in while I was asleep, all hell would have broken loose. I'm not sure what else to do to stop being woken up four hours after I go to sleep. I don't go to work until 4pm and I work all night. I can't afford to be woken up at 9am every time something goes wrong. One of the lights in my bathroom burnt out today, so we'll see how that goes, I guess. Overall, I am highly disappointment for the poor service for the large amount of money I'm paying. There are plenty of other apartments around 95 Wall. Don't make the same mistake I did, look somewhere else.

A real rape- off. Stay away from this place because they will try to squeeze money from you even before you live there. My review reflects my poor experience with the rental office. I filled up an online application after I saw an apartment that was very small and expensive but I had to move and get in on July 1st and this was the only available apartment in the building. Talking to the rental agent at the building I got a very positive impression. The agent was very sweet and polite and promised to approve my application within few hours. Filling up the online application (don't do my mistake) on June 30th, I was charged for 2 types of payments. $125 as an application fee and $600 an online deposit which will be credited toward the rent. I called the rental office and the agent explained to me that if I apply at the office, then I won't have to pay the $600 but since its online, there is a deposit but I do not have to worry its refundable and in the worst case, if I do not sign a lease I will get refunded. It's sounded OK and logical and anyhow, I could not get to their downtown office that day. I did not hear anything from them within few hours or a day and could not get any answer regarding my approval. On Monday, July 1st, after I had already found another apartment to move into that day, I received a message that I got approved and should come in and sign the lease and move in the same day. I let the rental office know, that It's too late and I am not taking the apartment. The rental agent who was so nice in the beginning raised her voice and threatened me that I wont receive back the $725 that I paid which included $600 "refundable" deposit as she claimed before. Her attitude was totally different and turned to be very aggressive. It did not help that I reminded her that she presented different policy in the beginning and that a deposit is not a fee and should be refunded if a deal does not go through for any reason. More than that, on their site nothing mentioned that in a case of application cancellation there was a $725 penalty. Few minutes later, my account on their website was closed down, the apartment was back on the market and soon got rented. There is noting that even shows my transaction with this company. They had never returned my deposit. This is not a honest practice and its clear that charging $725 without any warning is a trap and consider as taking something without providing anything in return. To get my money back I will have to sue them which I definitely will that. BE CAREFUL! They are not honest!

If I could give negative stars, I would. I have lived in several buildings downtown and this has been by far the worst experience I've had. I would seriously not recommend this building. Don't be fooled by the opulent lobby, this development company, UDR, has tried to run before it even crawled. Most basic necessities in this building are non existent. First of all, it can take up to a half hour for the water to turn hot in the mornings, and sometimes through out the day. Second, the elevators are consistently slow, and breaking. Third, the windows in the building are leaky and faulty. Not only do the windows leak air (heavy drafts, which make apartments cold in the winter and hard to cool in the summer), they also leak rain. When it rains heavily, water will seep through the caulking on our windows, and damage any goods that we have on the window sills/floor. When it is windy, the windows will blow open, exposing our entire apartment to the rain in the storm. And if we're not home during a storm, it is highly likely we're be exposed for the duration. On top of that, the management of packages is abominable. They have lost upwards of 5 of my apartment's packages and laundry service items, some lost permanently. The woman who runs the package room, June, is rude and has an inability to problems-solve (ie think in outside of the box to ensure that her most basic responsibility, getting people their packages, is achieved). June also has a communication gap- with a thick foreign accent, but rather than trying to understand what people are saying she is more likely to hang up on them. I've never experienced worse client service. While I've notified the building management of this, they don't do anything to rectify it (or at a min ensure their building's occupants have access to their property). The "luxury" they do provide is suspect at best, the doormen rarely do an effective job screening visitors, the machines in the gym are consistently broken, and any handyman service is frequently backlogged. Additionally, the management of the building is terrible.. Specifically Tara. She can't solve a problem to save her life. She has no oversight over her staff (clearly, given the misgivings of June and the utter failure of the doormen to do their job). She also is totally unwilling to see the side of the tenant, her client, and is totally unable to empathize. Why she hasn't been fired is a mystery to me because she's clearly a failure. In my opinion the window situation is supremely intolerable. They visited my apartment several times, moved things around, left things dirty, and were unable to solve the problem. This seems like something the management should reimburse for, or permit lease termination, but no. They're so far from client oriented, they couldn't careless about their tenants, and given the supply of people needing housing in Manhattan, they are not afraid to lose you-- which results in your loss. They will also scam you. They make you use their online portal to pay rent (you can pay check but they highly discourage this) and if the system is down-- its on you (which it has been for me for the last 3 mos). If you raise it to them, they'll conveniently not respond until its past due time, and not even entertain that their system is the root of the cause. You'll be hit with a $250 late fee- and again because all they care about is ringing a profit out of you, good luck fighting for Justice. If you refused to pay, you'll fee will just continue increasing. The only thing I can comment management has successfully done is prevent pests-- I have not seen any bugs or rats in the department, but that is the bar I hold for them now. Don't be fooled by the jazzy entrance and sophisticated looking shell-- this place is nothing more than a mill for renters in manhattan, and all they'll do for you is take your money.

Management (UDR) is incompetent, sleazy and unorganized. They repeatedly fail to understand the concept of "client-centricity" or good client relations. This place is run like a hotel, not like a place where people live. You're better off around the corner at 2 Gold Street or anywhere else on Wall Street where the views are stunning, management is better, prices are better and the ambiance isn't one of a gloomy vampire cave. PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: I lived at 95 Wall for 2 years including the Sandy evacuation, and cannot begin to count the number of problems, lack of solutions and headaches experienced during that 2 year time. The joy that filled my entire body when I handed my keys over and I knew that I would never have to go back was grandiose. I felt like a new person. 1. The apartments at 95 wall were built cheaply and poorly so everything breaks often... AC, Shower, dryer/washer, cabinets (yes, the cabinet below the sink in the bathroom literally FELL OUT of the wall, TWICE, once onto my friend's foot) ..among other things. If you need something fixed, you better get your gloves out. Over 2 years, I had to call management on average 4X per issue in order to have actual results. Everything was "fixed" poorly. If you call yourself a luxury building, and you charge ridiculous prices for your amenities, at least let us have a working shower. 2. "Dwell 95" is only concerned with one thing, your money. Not you, not your experience/comfort, the amount of money they can suck out of you, and the amount of money they can save by providing you with cheaply made appliances and awful repair service. Let me elaborate on the above.. When I was unexpectedly hospitalized during my move-out date (8/1), and physically unable to move out (I was strapped to an I.V.), the management gracefully let my belongings stay in the unoccupied space (key: no one was moving in) at the low prorated month to month rent rate of $3450/month aka $112 per day (at least show some sympathy and charge me my normal rent - $3050 - for a light-less Studio, nonetheless) ... This is after 2 years of paying my rent on time and being a good tenant. They weren't losing any money and I wasn't living there, I just happened to get really sick on Saturday 7/27 and spent the week in the hospital. I had no choice but to wait until the weekend so that my parents could be off work, drive up from Pennsylvania and pack my things for the movers to come. So, from Thursday 8/1-Sunday 8/4, while un-rented, I was granted permission to have my things in the apt for a $450 gain for UDR. Best of all, and this made me literally LOL, on our final statement the "Move-out Reason" was stated as: "Lifestyle Change." Hmm... I don't recall filling out any type of survey or questionnaire. Lifestyle change? You know what, my lifestyle has changed now that I live in an apartment with a management company that is kind, responsive and trustworthy. Having a place where you feel home/happy in NYC is crucial. In my opinion, you won't find it here.

This building will scan you into paying any fee possible. DO NOT LIVE HERE THEY TALE ADVANTAGE OF EVERY PERSON WITH HIDDEN FEES AND WHEN YOU TRY TO FIGHT IT THEY DO NOT RESPOND.

I lived at 95 Wall Street years ago when it was first opened and being managed by Prudential. It was OK at first but then it started going downhill very fast - the free breakfast that they offered every morning was cut down drastically to frozen orange juice, cereal, and yogurt. With the amount of money everyone was paying compared to what was offered in the neighborhood, they couldn't even keep the croissants and muffins? When I first moved in, the central air wasn't working. The maintenance came to take a look at it and found it was clogged up with mud and mold. They fixed it right away but it bothered me that no one checked it before I moved in. Maintenance would randomly come into my apartment whether I was home or not to work on something without my knowledge. There was one day I was sitting at my desk working and the door opened with two workers saying they needed to replace the molding in the bathroom and add extra shelves to the medicine cabinet. The leasing managers changed 3 times within 1 year of me living there and no one ever gave notice so I was always calling looking for someone and being transferred to voicemail for someone who didn't work there anymore. The same couple of songs play nonstop in the lobby, elevator, gym, and lounge so it becomes a major headache. Many times I was stopped in the lobby by the front desk to ask where I was going even though they've seen me entering/leaving the building every day several times a day. For some reason they got rid of the doorman position but sometimes have two people working behind the desk. Overall, the building is pretty nice. The gym is small but adequate. The rooftop is probably the best in the neighborhood. I don't like having to go downstairs to a tiny room to pick up my packages, the people working there always gave dirty looks and snobby attitudes for some reason. I do and I don't like the building. I've thought about moving back because I like the building but the staff and the price compared to the rest of the neighborhood discourages me from moving back in.

This building is not safe. The maintenance men enter apartments without notice, and the management is very unprofessional. The leasing agents scam the tents. Management broke into my apartment when I complained, and harassed me to a point that I moved out.