The Kestrel

I would give this building zero stars if I could. It has been a total and complete nightmare living in this building. Management is the ABSOLUTE WORST. Just to paint a picture for all of you prospective tenants of what it’s like to live here – you pay luxury pricing for a building in which the amenities are not fully functional, is plagued by water problems (that is, the building lacks consistent hot and cold water AND leaks from everywhere), and people smoke constantly despite the fact it is a non-​smoking residence. Nothing gets done unless you harass management to get things done, and that doesn’t even do the trick most of the time. I know residents that have had to call the City to report the unsafe and unsanitary conditions in our building just to get their attention despite completing due diligence and letting management know MANY TIMES that problems exist. It’s just unbelievable. They only care about what’s reported when they risk a fine from the Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
Another stellar example of just how much First Service Residential (
) cares about their residents {insert sarcasm here} – yesterday we returned home to a building that was squeaky clean. This was a shock to us since the Kestrel has looked like shit in recent weeks, especially with the massive floods we had following multiple heating unit explosions in the building. Our doorman was wearing a suit, which was also surprising since they almost never dress that professionally. The illegal tarp covering the mirror in our elevators was also removed. This, after many residents had complained about these tarps being up, but nothing was ever done. Why the sudden change? While we were hopeful it was because management finally got the message, this was not the case. We later learned from a resident that someone from ownership came to visit the building that day. TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY APPALLING. OF COURSE the building will be immaculate only when the person writing your paycheck stops by for a visit. DISGUSTING!
Don’t believe me with any of this? Come to one of their open houses or stop by to view any open apartments. Do yourself a favor and peek in some of the first floor apartments to try to find the ones that have floors that are completely gutted. And why are the floors of a brand new building being gutted? Because a few weeks ago numerous heating units throughout the building exploded, causing massive floods in many apartments. The damage tells the tale. This isn’t the only place the flooding is coming from. The building opened in November 2014. By the summer of 2015, the roof was already being replaced because it was believed that most of the leaks were coming from the roof. What does that mean? That’s right, folks – the roof was not fully functional the entire summer. It still remains incomplete almost a year and a half later. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the Kestrel website and see what their advertised floor plan looks like, then compare it to the crap that it truly is.
Also, do yourself another favor and compare what the amenities look like in person to how they are advertised on the Kestrel website. Most importantly, take a look at the business center. Notice how it looks all pretty and bright on the Kestrel website, but dark and dingy in person? This is because, like the apartments noted above, the Business Center has suffered leaks more than any other room in that building and has been fixed more times that we can count. But, the repairs didn’t come until some residents called the City for the soaking/​stained carpets in that room. Management was clearly not motivated to do anything about it unless forced. We should also mention that the business center is not fully functional, either. Good luck trying to print something. It’s a total crap shoot as to whether or not the printers will work, have ink, have paper, etc.
We can go on and on about all of the other issues in this building, but hopefully this paints a vivid enough picture of how awful this building is. The ONLY good thing about this building is the super and his staff. I can assure you that you will never find a more honest, hard working, dedicated super anywhere in New York City. This man is a saint for all that he as to put up with, and his staff and porters are a true extension of his great leadership. But at the end of the day, despite everything they try to do to make residents happy, it is not enough. They are incredibly overworked and lack the necessary assistance and resources that should be provided by management. If paying top dollar for an apartment that runs the risk of leaking at any given moment, has shower water that is either too hot or cold to safely and comfortably bathe, and a management company that pretty much laughs in your face every time you complain about their piss-​poor management of this property, then you are a glutton for punishment.

My fiancé and I moved into the Kestrel last spring. At first we were thrilled with the location and amenities the building had to offer; however, we quickly became frustrated with management and the condition of the building. We confirmed our move in date with staff more than three times and the day we went to move in, the keys were unavailable, the apartment was covered in dust and paint, and there was rotten food in our fridge. They did not rectify the situation nor did they complete a walk through with us. There were several things that were broken when we moved in– it took weeks of communicating with Armend to get them fixed, and 6 months later, a few of the items (hole in wall and an electrical issue) were still not resolved.
A large part of the reason we moved there were the amenities, including the yoga studio, rooftop areas, and business center. Unfortunately, for a good part of our time there, the yoga studio was flooded and the business center was closed. During the summer management began limiting access to rooftop areas if you did not pay to reserve them.
Working with management is a nightmare– they are incredibly difficult to get a hold of and will often not respond to emails or calls until you badger them. a word of caution– be sure to get everything in writing with them!
We wanted to love living here. Unfortunately, we ended up spending a lot of money living at the Kestrel and got very little in return.

We really like living at the Kestrel. The rent is competitive for what you get with amenities compared to the surrounding buildings (we compared quite a few when we were looking). It has its kinks like any new business. It’s a new building, the maintenance situation hasn’t been fully sorted out or operationalized but the doormen are great, the people who live there are lovely, and it has a sense of community. I took off one star because management needs to get it together.

Not a good place to live. Things break often. When someone comes to fix a problem, they often make it worse or cause a new problem. I would not recommend living here. The rent is way higher than it is worth!