Community stories

October 8th at around 3 am, a fire started in the basement of my building on West 104th st. Not a single smoke alarm went off in the building. The only was we and the neighboring building realized there was a fire was that someone was screaming outside and called 911. It was about 3:41am when I went to my window to see what the screaming was about and I saw people from my building…

Has anyone else noticed that there has been a noticeable increase in folks shooting up on the sidewalk (and hanging out on and sometimes passing out on the sidewalk for hours) on the streets along Morningside Park? I've seen many more needles on the sidewalk as well. I feel for these people, and I hope they get help, but it's really impacting quality of life in these very residential streets that have plenty of children. Any advice?…

I live by Newel and it’s just a lot of stress to take a walk once it’s dark. I make noice getting in to my building and several scatter but all in all, they are all around on sidewalks. After 10 years in the neighborhood this is the worst I’ve seen, and they are not big, so on the younger end. Anyone else noticing this?

I’m several buildings away, but someone in an apartment near trash has what sounds like an entire jazz band that will play for many hours into the night (usually this is a summer issue but since it’s 80 out today I guess the band got back together). It drives me insane. It’s so loud I can hear them several buildings away. It’s a residential block and it makes me feel crazy that it would appear no one in their building cares that a band plays that loud for…

Hi, so my roommate’s and I’s bathroom ceiling leaked 2 weeks or so ago, and I’m assuming it ruined the internal structure and the wiring for the lights. Our super came and just drained the water from the big basin that covers the lights, but he didn’t actually do anything besides telling us to wait for it to dry and then turn on the lights after replacing the bulbs. I’m wondering if this isn’t safe bc the…

Saw at least three cars with smashed windows today around 23rd St and 41st Ave, near Queens Plaza South in Long Island City. There was shattered glass all over the sidewalk, and some of the cars still had bags and other belongings visibly left inside. Honestly, it almost looks like someone was smashing windows just for fun rather than trying to steal anything. What’s even more concerning is that this happened right outside…

Beware of this new insurance scam: Guys on the street will flag you down to divert your attention while their buddy in the car in front of you stops short I live in Southern Brooklyn, probably the capital of car insurance scams, and I think I saw a new one today. I was driving along with the windows open and a couple of guys flag me down from the sidewalk, screaming like it was urgent. I glance at them, glance right back in front of me and the person in front of me was stopping short. I…

Yeah basically the title. My building which is nearly 100 years old smells incredibly harsh and poisonous, making returning home bleak. It’s definitely coming from the lobby and stairway. I moved here about two months ago and immediately noticed a baked-in musty smell in the stairway, kind of like someone is permanently cooking/burning chili. NOW, in addition to that, it smells overwhelmingly of paint thinner or some other harsh chemical, and sometimes I see…

The noise is insufferable - makes going out to relax and enjoy green-space impossible.

Over the last week I’ve noticed a SIGNIFICANT amount of roaches in my apt, the laundry room, the trash room. I was just opening the door to the garbage room and one actually fell from the top of the door as some on the ground scattered away. I understand this is common in buildings and a major contributor is the current temperature. But omg this is so disturbing. The monthly building exterminator just sprays the common areas and it doesn’t do much. I just used combat and…

I’ve lived in a basement unit apartment in Queens for the past 2 years and only once have I seen a huge roach in my home (that I knew came from outside). In recent weeks, I’ve seen two small roaches and another last night. After further research it seems like these are German roaches and I should be acting fast. As well my apartment gets incredibly hot in the summer, and due to shitty electrical we usually can only use about 1 AC unit. Like everyone else we have no…

I live in a rent-stabilized, prewar (90-year-old) 49-unit building in Queens. I just moved in about a month and a half ago. Since moving in, I’ve had my own private exterminator (paid monthly, separate from the building’s service) treat for both mice and roaches. This is due to warnings from the other tenants that the exterminator and super are not very good. **Mice**: Found and sealed an…

​ I live in a small studio in and. have never seen a roach inside my apartment in the 3 years I've lived here. Over three years, I've only seen three roaches. One on the wall in the hallway most recently, one out of the elevator shaft and one in the stairwell. I woke up this morning and see it in the middle of my floor. It was moving very slowly and was able to kill it. I reported it to management and they're scheduling an…

Hi all, I just signed a studio lease on sunday in Sky “luxury” apartments, but i’m having an insane roach issue. I’ve probably seen close to 75 roaches since moving in 5 days ago. They are in my fridge (I haven’t stored any food), my dishwasher, my oven, my bathroom. I’ve been documenting this with management over email and haven’t been able to sleep, let alone live in my apartment. I start a new job Monday and…

Seems like Sotto La Luna is unilaterally turning half of 35th Avenue parking into valet parking (in contrast with the city posted parking signs) Anyone have any idea if this is permitted by the city? Will be submitting a 311 complaint if not

Water tank at Jackson Park overflowed and flooded units/hallways. All 5 elevators in Building 2 were shut down Thursday and management has slowly have opened one, now two elevators. Queues to get up to the unit have been a nightmare. To get down, we had to call the front desk to call an elevator and the front desk was overloaded and wouldn't even pick up, so we'd have to call over and over again for 20+ minutes. Elevator would then take 10+ minutes to even free up. Has…

200 block of East 83rd.....

Has anyone else experienced problems with Crown Hill on Nostrand near Park/Sterling? Outside of the theatre being the result of deed theft, every time there is a major event there the business does NOTHING to facilitate the mass exodus of people often at 2,3, or 4am. The resulting chaos leads to an absurd amount of double parking by Ubers who pick people up in front of the venue, thus causing *insane* amounts of honking in the middle of the night. I know…

Hi everyone, I've been living in my apartment for the past year and recently noticed some long cracks developing in the walls. I reached out to my super, but he took a look and brushed them off, saying they aren't a big deal. I'm still skeptical because the cracks are quite long. I've had friends personally recommend that I report this to the DOB to prevent structural collapse, but I'm thinking of escalating it to the landlord first to see how they handle it. What would you…

Two tan dogs and one brown and tan dog on Schenectady Ave near St. John’s Park, all three of them are emaciated and they have a litter of puppies. Today I witnessed their owner physically throw one of the dogs into a metal fence and another woman strike a dog hard across the face with a metal leash. This is my second 311 complaint where I’ve described the incidents of physical abuse against these dogs. These episodes happen multiple…

Just noticed this an hour ago. Anybody else see it?

I get there is a problem with vermin but what the f-ck - dog owners beware

I've lived in a rent controlled apartment in the Bronx for over 4 years now. We've had repeated issues with flooding due to water tanks leaking/bursting. All the tanks are kept in a storage room on the top floor, so when they go they ruin my apartment which is right below them. In violation of code, this room with the tanks doesn't have a drain, the tanks aren't in pans, and there are no water alarms. We've now had 3 major floods. I'm talking water…

Lumen LIC is cutting off gas, yet again, and this time it cut off hot water as well. 48+ hours