- Report: #1135509
Complaint Review: Zara Realty - Jamaica New York
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Zara Realty
166-7 Hillside Ave Jamaica, 11432 New York, USA
Phone:
(718) 291-3331
Web:
http://www.zararealty.com/
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Zara Realty GEORGE SUBRAJ, JAY SOBHRAJ, KEN SUBRAJ Fraud Management! Not Luxury Apartments. Overrun with roaches, rats and pervy, shady employees. Jamaica New York
This was my first time living in an apartment and this is the worst costly realtor I have ever dealt with. They're incredibly fraudulent with claims for friendly employees and clean, safe affordable apartments for rent for which I have seen none. My apartment is overrun with roaches and they even let the employees spray a smelly sticky pesticide (shouldn't be inhaled) that damages your floor because that's how bad the infestation in the basement/laundry room is, it's incredibly filthy and reeks of various fumes.
I witnessed a cockroach crawling on one the dryers where one of the tenants was beginning to put their clothes in. The apartments wall are exceedingly thin so noise a 100x worse. My neighbor above me proceeds to bang and pound at their floor. You can hear screaming, yelling, chairs dragging, their child jumping repeatedly, etc. through the walls.
This went on for years and years and I would numerously complain to the head office in which they would insist "WRITE A LETTER!" "RECORD THE NOISE!" After complaining so many times to the superintendent who did nothing, "JUST CALL THE COPS!" he said. I finally called 311 a number of times and they forwarded a report to the NYPD.
The cops arrived since the noise had began at 4:30am which is a lot earlier than it usually does which is at 6am to nighttime. This would become a daily routine which my voice had no meaning whatsoever. The neighbors were given a warning in which they failed to follow.
They continued again as soon as they left. I then typed a VERY detailed letter and signed the bottom to authenticate it. After complaining more about the harassing noise in which my action were not reciprocated. My complaints were not regarded a the head office and the assistant even hung up on me and I when I called back I was told to leave a message which has still not been returned.
Fast forward to the beginning, they charge you a broker fee which is normal. Then they charged for me to install my air conditioners. They told me I was in violation as it wasn't secured properly...ok? Then I was charged every month TO have it kept installed which is absurd!
My windows which are not made of glass because it is an old building, I made a request to the super to have them cleaned because I couldn't see out of them. They were incredibly foggy and I was told $100 and the staff would take care of it.
The employees which are hired from another company ogle young women and cat call them from the garage gate. This is incredibly unprofessional behavior to be "working" especially since there are many children around witnessing this.
The elevators reek of a pungent odor and has the look of -you really shouldn't touch these buttons, let alone lean against it. Even the wonderful sight of a dead cockroach on it's back (the same one I've seen for three years) has not been cleaned up.
The elevator has broken down a few times as well the washers and dryers which take forever to be fixed and just end up breaking again.
This building is also not safe either, I've witnessed countless arrests and domestic disputes outside my very window, as well as smelling cigarette smoke which is highly prohibited to do so in front of the building. Pets (dogs and cats) are not allowed but yet I see new tenants in the building with their pups all the time and the super pretending he doesn't see it.
This establishment is exceptionally overpriced with rude staff and slumlords. I've have never experienced this kind of torture before and doing my research they have A LOT of negative reviews for their business plus a few phony positive ones thrown into overshadow them which are false and lies.
I will add one last thing. I did have a chance to meet with the landlord, George who casually said the noise is really nothing it happens in apartments all the time and handed me COMPLENTRY EARPLUGS!
No thank you, it's not normal and for the price I pay I should be living like a queen in a palace. "Luxury" my foot, it's just a lame marketing gimmick.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Zara Realty
Jamaica,New York,
Owners Response
#2REBUTTAL Owner of company
Tue, May 20, 2014
this is in response to Gene reports submitted April 14th about Zara Realty Goerge Subraj and others. First of all Gene is hiding, he failed to put full name and address so we can ascertain the true and hard facts. Zara's policy is to give each and every client a clean, secure and affordable apartment. all apartments are given roach free, mice free and bug free and we do exterminate once a month by a NYS licence extermination free of charge. if Gene gets roches, mice and bedbugs it is very likely he was not giving access, all Gene has to do is to register his complaint with the super and obtain a complaint number. As to repairs, all emergencies are completed with in 24 to 72 hours and non emergencies 3-5 days once your complaint has been registered with the superintendent or write this office, had we got his full name and apartment number we would be ale to check this apartment and give you hard facts.As to noise the day to day sounds of living in an apartment need to be inspected, all tenants are requied to put down carpeting at the time of moving in. Did Gene put down carpeting, I dont know. If Gene expects someone to stop children from walking and day to day sounds like talking is impossible. I suspect thats exactly what happened, he is complaining about day to day sounds, our standard policy is to ask someone to give specific facts of the noise investigate it and if anything the noise becomes unreasonable to call the cops to enforce it. The DEP considers up to 70 decibels normal sound. We have no recollection of Genes complaints, he must give specifics on all issues and we can resolve. We are looking into the other complaint oogleing women. All our elevators has contracts and are licensed with the NYC Department of Buildings and are inspected routine by the building department and an outside contractor. These buildings are aged between 50 to 120 years old. We do not permit smoking in our buildings and certain tenenats who do smoke are requested not to smoke in public areas and are told to discontinue. As to our rent they are considered market rent and our buildings are 99% occupies. As tenant complaints of lawsuits these cases were all settled due to the facts and allegations not being true.
Investigator
Queens,New York,
why is it that people do NOT DO ANY HOMEWORK ?? google zara realty lawsuits
#3Consumer Comment
Tue, May 13, 2014
why is it that people do NOT DO ANY HOMEWORK ?? google
zara realty lawsuits and you be the JUDGE I can't
http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2011/52/tenantlawsuit_jt_2011_12_29_q.html
A group of Jamaica tenants has taken its landlord to court on grounds that the company left them in intolerable conditions despite numerous complaints and calls for help.
The Catholic Migration Office and Queens Legal Services filed a lawsuit against Zara Realty last week in Queens Civil Court on behalf of the 46 tenants of 90-36 149th St., contending that the building’s managers violated the New York Rent Stabilization Law, Consumer Protection Act and NYC Tenant Protection Act.
The suit maintains the tenants, who are mostly immigrants, have made several complaints about problems in their homes, including broken windows, rat infestation and mold, but the building’s owners have not responded to their requests for remediation.
In addition, the attorneys say that after a tenant moves out because of the problems, the owners immediately renovate and resell the apartment as a “luxury rental.”
“These tenants are taking action not only to defend their own rights, but to send a message that such actions cannot and will not be tolerated,” Queens Legal Services Housing Rights Project Director Ann Ascher said in a statement.
The man in charge of the building, however, called the lawsuit frivolous.
George Subraj, president of Zara Reality, said he and his staff have always been mindful of the tenants’ needs since his group purchased the building a decade ago.
The tenants had filed a complaint about the building’s problems with the state Division of Housing & Community Renewal back in June and Zara immediately sent in crews to repair the damage.
“It is a herculean task, but we got the job done,” Subraj said.
He added that the building is 70 years old and prone to damages, but insisted that his tenants are always tended to.
Tenants, however, said Subraj’s treatment is anything but cordial.
“Some people just can’t pay the rent because [the landlord] keeps raising the rent and he isn’t giving these people a chance,” tenant Nelson Lopez said in a statement. “I don’t like the way this guy is treating us, the tenants.”
The city Department of Buildings has issued four Environmental Control Board violations against the building since April, including failure to address building violations, according to the city’s records.
“By filing this lawsuit and standing up to their abusive landlord, these tenants have taken a courageous step not only to protect their rights, but to draw attention to a much larger problem,” Robert McCreanor of the Catholic Migration Office, said in a statement.
