All 29 tenant reviews.

“For the price you pay, the place is a dump. The management, led by this guy called Mel, who resembles a sleazy used car salesman and is as dishonest . They will never work work you On anything. The elevators are old, and there are only 2. One is under repair every single day. They don't care. The lounge is a dump . Stained couches and dirty rugs. The Lobby is also fitted with items that look like they were pulled off the street the gym is equipped with old equipment And not enough weights The concierge is a men e who is sometimes behind the desk, sometimes getting your package and sometimes milk NV the floors it's a joke Do yourself a favor Stay away”

“The negative reviews of this building all look like they were written by the same person who seems to be one of those tenants that complains about anything and everything. I feel like any large building in New York always has one! I myself haven't smelled pot smoke while I've lived here nor have I ever heard of any bed bug problems. There was some construction noise as the new buildings nearby were being built but they're mostly done now and I haven't heard a jackhammer in quite some time. I have a great rapport with the building and management staff, who yes, sometimes aren't as responsive on weekends or holidays but will still respond quickly when there's an emergency. All the guys at the front desk know me by name and are very good about keeping random people who don't live there from wandering around the building. The only reason I don't give this building 5 stars in all categories is because it is slightly far from the subway lines at Columbus Circle. Yet at the same time, the shuttle helps with that a great deal.”

“Rent anywhere but there and this is not an exaggeration. This is not a luxury building - it's poorly built (just pay attention to the finish when you visit; if you don't notice them the first time, go back and look again). It is mix of rent stabilized tenants and premium tenants; so you are paying luxury high rise premium to compensate for everyone else not paying enough. Trust me when I say this. It won't take you two days living here to realize that you are "overly" overpaying. Everything negative you've read on this website is true. Don't trust anyone telling you otherwise (mistake I made). Even better go on RENTLOGIC.COM and check official and verified data based ratings and violations history (one of the most substantial in town) and well feel free to compare and see for yourself if moving in to this building is really what you wish for yourself for the next 12 to 13 months. Bedbugs are a common trend there. Elevators don't work. Shuttle service is so-so; there is always an incident. Management tells you they will repaint the apartment; come double check for yourself before you sign (they did lie to me on this). Many other online resources help you find out about management. Just google. I can't say all the xx you get there. But well, if you are a student looking for roommates to rent a cheap place, this is for you. If you love weed smoking or all kinds of smoking for that matter; this is the perfect place for you. If you love paying premium rent, and yet feeling like you're living in a xx hole; well be my guest - I'd have given you my place. Not a ounce of regrets. Yes, you get nice views and UWS parks but again seriously consider living anywhere else in town and even Jersey.”

“They say "you get what you pay for" but at 33 West End Ave, you do not even get that. This place is run down and with all the pending litigations its facing plus its shady management team, has had a hard time keeping up the building amongst its surrounding competitive unit. Lets break this review down: The Unit - the units are tiny by New York standards and give the words "luxury rental" a very bad name. A "new" apartment will have dust coming off the unit-air conditioning, shoddy paint overs to cover previous tenant absolute bare minimum to put you in. They lure you in with the low rent, but for what you are about to face as a should avoid temptation and look away. Once you have signed with the shady management will never hear from them again and when you complain on something, you'll still NEVER hear from I dont know when one of only two elevators in a 24 story building broke down 30 times over a two month lease for more than 72 hours during rush more on this later. The fixtures in this unit are piss like the rest of the building, the bare minimums. The wardrobe doors tend to fall off and onto fridge routinely breaks down etc etc. You could stay here for the views, because during my lease there were unobstructed views of the shady management said they were building a massive park in front of the actually showed up? Four high rise tours and a school...killing your views and killing the only thing this building had going for it. Now lets talk about the building...2 elevators, your baseline assumption is one will always not be in service. The gym? A dump. The Party room? A dump. They have been saying for years they will be renovating the entire building...This was part of the sale when I moved in...nothing since. The building has no restrictions on dog its free for all. The staff? A revolving door, but the folks who do stay...specifically the super, is a narcissistic, lazy, downright stupid human who works on his own is the absolute worse. To add to this, I am convinced he is doing some shady dealings on the side since he regularly parks his high-end SUVs right in front of the all the low income residents to oggle at. He has a ton of attitude, like he is your landlord and hes doing you a favor by letting you live in his slum. Maybe I am just a disgruntled tenant who has moved into a normal building, with normal staff and normal amenities / fixtures. Then riddle me this. The average studio, one and two bedroom on the for around 19-23 days before renting...33 West End...currently averaging at 110 days YTD. Why? People see through this BS. Keep your money in your pocket and go elsewhere, there is nothing but deep frustration with 33 West End. Oh and for the to see the storage unit straight makings of a horror film come to life!”

“This place is a complete joke. My boyfriend whom lives with me here has continually been harassed by the staff because his name doesn't happen to be on this particular lease. We have followed all of their rules (getting him put on the list for the building) and yet the doorman will still ask him "what are you doing here". Yesterday my boyfriend was coming home from work and a driver for the building (a DRIVER) stopped him and asked if he lived here. This is getting a tad bit ridiculous. When we are paying for a place together and the management is continually this discourteous, I can confidently say that I will NOT be renewing my lease and wouldn't recommend anyone else lease here. They also claim that this is "luxury" living... That is perhaps the biggest joke of all of it. Don't get me wrong, when you come tour this building if you don't look carefully you'll fall under the "luxury" illusion as I did, but keep you eyes open and you'll see what I mean.”

“Building is poorly constructed and maintained, There are two elevators (including freight) and one of them is usually out of order -- which means long waits if you live on a higher floor. Even though it's a newer building it's infested with cockroaches and you will need to spray on a weekly basis. Management is unapologetic and does nothing to improve the conditions. The neighborhood is full of construction which goes on all weekend. So if you like waiting in lines, dodging bugs and waking up to the sounds of jackhammers and cranes -- this is the place for you!”

“The building itself is great. The apartments are beautiful, the gym is clean and large, and the management and concierges are nice and very friendly. The only downside is location wise to the subway- a little far... but luckily the building's van service that goes to and from Columbus Circle daily aids convenience. Rent is typical NYC rent. Overall great building itself, yet not greatest building location wise.”

“We've been here for four years. Started with a good Super and manager, and an amazing and friendly staff. Soon after the Super left and Mike, the head of maintenance, became the Super. I consider these the glory days. Mike was an incredibly generous, caring, thoughtful guy. Genuinely close to so many of us. Then something changed. I'm not sure if it was the management company or what, but the building came under new management and everything went downhill from there. Staff started disappearing one-by-one, all being fired or "transferred" to other shady buildings. They were instructed not to be too chummy. They were accused of ridiculous offenses and fired. The outside of the building is in a relative shambles, compared to when we came here. There are planters full of dead trees toppled over all around the front of the building. The front door and surrounding area is covered and caked with layers of dog pee that never gets cleaned off and smells. The common areas (hallways, elevators, public restrooms) are always dirty. We used to have several porters here that took care of trash, cleaning, and so much else. We now have one, and he is here all the time and overworked. On one of the rare occasions he wasn't here there was nobody else to move the trash from the basement to the curb, so the inside of the building wreaked of hot garbage for a full week. In the four years we've been here we've tried to leave every year, but have a difficult time as we own a very large dog and buildings that will allow her are hard to find. When we did find a place it was during our lease year. We tried to work out a deal with management, but they were deceitful, evasive and aggressive. They finally agreed to let us out if someone rented our place, and that they would show it. For five weeks it wasn't shown once, and they finally told us that they would only show it if there were no other apartments to show, and only if they had a walk-in (they would not advertise it). We can't wait to leave.”

“Avoid. This building has the potential to be pretty nice, however the management company and their employees are extremely disrespectful. The building upkeep is also very poor.”

“The management is horrible. Rates are unreasonable and there is MAJOR contruction going on all day. Stay far away. All good views are being lost and they are STILL raising lease renwals! Unbelievable! The super and staff are AMAZING. If it was not for them, this building would be one of the worst I've ever seen. Looking forward to my lease ending at the end of this year”

“Avoid. Rent is unreasonable for what you get and management and leasing office are questionable. Kitchen cupboards are popping off. Students are in this building and get loud. Staff are wonderful and make up for other problems. Overall, you can do better in today's market.”

“I have lived here for several years. I cannot say I have had anywhere near the same experiences as the other reviewers. I would recommend this building. The rents are on par with the rest of the Manhattan market for similar apartments.”

“One of the most mismanaged buildings in the area. One Elevator is out most of the time, The hallways are always dirty, appliances are very old, it takes months to repair and they never replace them, some apartments have bugs and they do nothing about them and you have to be ready to wait long time for the elevator almost every night when you get home. The management team is bunch of gate-keepers and never on your side nor they understand your issues. I could only give credit to the few good hard working people in the building. Unfortunately that is not enough to keep me living in the building. I can t wait to leave this damn place. The latest nightmare is the construction. In my opinion RUN!!!! DO NOT MOVE IN ..there are many better building and apartments in this area.”

“I am a resident at 33 West End Ave., been here three years. If you're thinking of renting here, here are some things to consider: 1) Pot smoke: you had better like it, because you'll be living with it. Almost two years ago, there was suddenly pot smoke permeating my apartment multiple times per day, including early morning and late at night. Enough so that I feel light-headed and if you walk out into the hallway you feel like you'll be knocked over by the stuff. I informed the management and have followed up with them multiple times since then; they claim they've taken various steps, but nothing has changed. I'm not the only person bothered by this; the resident bulletin board shows complaints from many people about it. 2) Waiting for elevators: you'd better enjoy that too. I have never lived anywhere where the elevators were out of order as often as they are here. A few times both have been broken at once; have fun getting to your high-floor apartment in that case. 3) So-so apartments: as other commenters have noted, the apartments are nice enough but not worth the price. Fixtures are middle of the road, sometimes cheap, nowhere near what they should be for the price. Example: early on, the folding/sliding door to one of my closets was constantly coming off its track, so I asked if it could be fixed. At a real luxury building, they would have replaced the door or otherwise made sure it worked smoothly and properly. Here, the "handyman" took a little piece of wood and stuck it underneath the roller at the top of the door to compensate for the fact that the door doesn't fit correctly. It works -- kind of; I still have to fix it manually every so often and I've gotten used to handling it carefully so it doesn't pop out as much. Similar thing with the door to my apartment: it started sticking and being difficult to open. The handyman worked on it for a while, and now it still sticks; just a little less than it did before. Apparently, that's fine. 4) Insane rent increases: expect them. At the expiration of my initial two-year lease, my rent went up by $1k. Now, that included an initial 4-months-free deal, so it's not as bad as it sounds, but the actual increase was still 8%, pretty steep. This year? I just got my renewal offer, and it's just under a 25% increase. I'm not kidding. 5) Construction Hell: you'll be in it. Look up "Riverside Center." The space behind this building as well the block on the downtown side are being torn apart and a five-tower residential complex is going in. This place will be the biggest construction war zone on the upper west side for at least the next year or two. The beautiful view of the river will be gone. They just broke ground a few weeks ago; the jackhammers and pile drivers run from 7am to 3pm (at least), and it's extremely loud; you will not be able to think, let alone sleep through it. Don't even think about living here if you're at home during the day. The best part? The city noise code states that construction is allowed only between 7am and 6pm Monday through Friday -- but today, Saturday 5 January 2013, the site is up and running with two pile drivers going simultaneously; I was woken up at 10am (after going to sleep late specifically because I knew that it would be quiet, finally, in the morning). No idea if they're just flouting the law or if they actually got an exemption to do this. Echoing what others have said: for the most part, the staff are great; very friendly and helpful. But this place wasn't quite worth the money when it started, and now they're jacking up the prices by ludicrous amounts, while the construction is making it unlivable and will continue to do so for quite some time. Stay away.”

“I am a prospective tenant looking into this building but the amsterdam housing projects a block away is a major concern, any residents that can shed light on the safety of the area especially at night? my wife sometimes comes home from work late at night by her self.”

“We visited the building twice and liked what we saw. The tenants we spoke to seemed happy. We're a bit concerned about how isolated that corner of the UWS is and now these reviews are freaking us out! Are there any current tenants who can weigh in as to whether there are still so many concerns. If the walls are thin, useless super, problems with heat and hot water...we definitely won't move in. FYI, we're applying for a rent-stabilized, middle income apt. Thanks.”

“I have lived here for over 3 years. They have jacked their prices up to complete with the nice luxury rentals in the area, but this is not a nice luxury rental. The heat and hot water constantly goes out, the laundry room is constantly out of order, the elevators are slow and frequently there is only one working, and it's generally dirty in the common areas. The location is also not convenient. It's not close to the subway or restaurants and you can't even get to Riverside park without going blocks out of the way. Management is the worst I've ever seen in a landlord. They NEVER call you back, they refuse to discuss any issue you have or negotiate, and they had some "glitch" in their system that applied a late fee to my account for months on end even though I always pay my rent early. Not to mention when I moved in they said the construction zone surrounding the building would be done in 4 months when it actually took over 2.5 years, so basically they lied. They also refuse to let you sublet even though the leases say you can with their approval (i.e., they disapprove for no reason at all and refuse to talk about it). The only good thing is that the doormen (and women) are super nice and maintenance requests are promptly taken care of.”

“This is what you would be getting with 33 WEA: Construction all around. If you have children or have any concern for your health, ask for or conduct an independent environmental evaluation to test for hazardous chemicals and heavy metals. The unsiglhtly abandoned grounds directly in front of the building with the train underpass. The area is freequented by homeless people and smells like urine, especially in the summer. The super who is a complete idiot: Nothing ever gets fixed, including the laundry and the elevators. Excellent concierge staff. Gestapo management. The noise level inside apartments is utterly unacceptable: whatever is happening in the hallways may as well be happening inside the apartment. As soon as my lease is up in 2012, I'm out.”

“The one positive about living in this building is the staff. The concierge at the front desk are wonderful and very accommodating. Everything else, not worth the price. You can find much nicer apartments on the UWS that are in a more convenient location. The location is on West End Avenue next to a large parking lot and huge construction zone. With this, you get very high winds and occasionally mice. There is new construction across the street, so there is constant noise. The building is also over train tracks, so you will constantly hear the train. You are also a 1/2 mile away from all trains and have to walk up a hill to get to them. In the winter, this is a nightmare. All of the fixtures and appliances are low end. There are no fans in the bathrooms and the building locks in humidity so you will end up with a very damp bathroom. The bathtub caulking continuously needs to be replaced no matter how often you clean. There are only 2 elevators and oftentimes one of them is not working. The same goes for the treadmills in the gym. The gym is convenient, but nothing special. The washers/dryers are terrible and have ruined many of my clothes, plus they are filthy and have mold/algae growing in them.”

“I read most of the posts here and here's my take. I've lived here for the past 2 years and let me tell yah, its been more rough than not. Yes, the train is 4-5 blocks away, but let s not forget that you have to go up a GIANT hill, across avenue blocks! Yes, there's a shuttle, but you have to go on its schedule every 30 minutes is the deal, but say if you need an extra 5 minutes then you would need an extra 10 minutes to walk to the train. Doesn t sound too bad until its raining / snowing. By the west side there isn t much there so the wind picks up more speed. We haven t had to fuss much with our living situations but from talking to other people who ve lived in the building - if you need to make any adjustments goooooood luck. 99% of the time, you will not have the management team s support / accommodation. It s a business and they run it like the streets. It s not civilized. I will say that the staff on site is pretty darn good. The front desk staff is consistent and they are friendly, pleasant and super cool. I ve seen tenants that just hang out and talk -- if you need something fix, they are very responsive too. The super is on site so that is handy. The gym and laundry room is always clean so no complaints there all in all, the building is comfortable just the location is a bit off.”

“I am moving in the building in mid October but I am having second thoughts after reading all the horrible reviews. However, it seems that all the reviews are pretty dated so I was wondering if things have changed in regards to the noise, management company, sound insulation, heating, building manager, etc... Are the people who complain about the construction noise living in the lower floors of the building or do the higher floors have the same noise issues? When I visited the building, everything seemed as I expected so I was really surprised when I read all the negative reviews. If you read this by October 1st, then please reply, as that is the date at which I can't back out of the lease any longer. Thanks in advance to all those who reply.”

“Building is generally well maintained. Residents are friendly. Great for younger professionals. Staff is helpful and professional. Management is cooperative; they understand the all the difficulties that can arise when into moving into a new apartment and are willing to go the extra mile to make the experience less stressful.”

“I did recently move in, and found that the gravely important protections of laws that require a proper lease, a proper rent receipt,a proper limit on payments to the landlord, are actually in very alarming disuse. I can very easily cite and quote these very plain and simple laws, but no one appears to ever have a clue as to what these laws are. The government paid nearly a billion dollars to a charity in order to get this landlord and many others out of an otherwise plunging housing market. This is another secret. Nevertheless, the poor senior citizens and other tenants will eventually face a boundlessly powerful Rent Stabilization Association alone. They will have none of the gravely important aforesaid documents nor copies of them. They will have no lawyer, government or otherwise, as the governments involved do not dare displease the aforesaid landlord lobby organization. These matters are not nearly limited to this building. I will, therefore, avoid mentioning the usual concerns. Indeed, they are of far less importance.”

“I moved into this building at the end of November. The staff could not have been more courteous and the management made move in a pleasure. Two months later I love living in this building. The staff is responsive and wonderful. For example, I wanted a shower bar installed and emailed the building manager Rudy, who explained the process. Once I bought the bar he came immediatly to my apartment and had it installed that day. On another occassion I noticed the compactor door was loose and called the front desk and it was repaired that afternoon. I would recommend this building to anyone R.Webster”

“My wife and I are relocating to NYC and came across this apartment building on the Internet. We read reviews, including ones from this very website, but figured we would give it a shot. Since we're out of town, we requested as much information via email as possible (application, credit release form, pictures, etc.). My wife called in first to request the info and it was never sent to her. We waited a week and then I called in and spoke to Mariam, the same leasing agent my wife talked to. She sent me the application and available apartments that evening. I asked for pictures and she said she would have the Super take them. Two days later, no pictures. I called in to ask if we should even expect pictures and she basically blew me off as if I was a waste of her time. My wife and I figured if it's this difficult to give them our money and rent a unit, we can only imagine what it will be like once they have us locked into a lease. Too many red flags before we even sign a lease.”