One of those "you just got screwed" managements. Do not sign with any of their apartments. Please do your research and speak with their existing tenants for more information in regards to how is it to rent from them and how they go about repairs and other issues..... read more

Dorothy (ex-101), who sits at the front desk, said, "It is a privilege to be allowed back into the apartment" Due to the comment above by Dorothy, I am writing this review. The quick backstory to why "back into the apartment" was said. A fire on November 2022, caused half of the building to be temporarily vacant. My grandmother was one of the apartments affected. Fast forward, it is now the end of April 2023, and my grandmother has not moved back into her home. Due to the water damage caused by the fire, and the repairs made to the damages, my grandmother is now allowed to "move back in". Upon receiving back the key, as another person would do, we expected the apartment to make sure it was indeed moveable. We noticed issues before the fire with the bathroom and the kitchen have not been resolved. Since we've complained to the office about the living conditions of the bathroom and kitchen many times, we decided to redress the issue before moving back into the apartment. On April 27, 2023, my mother went on behalf of my grandmother to the Jones Equities office to request repairs before my grandmother returned to her home. Resubmitting the photos and readdressing the issue, Dorothy told my mother; 1. If repairs are made, the rent goes up, and 2. "It is a privilege to be allowed back into the apartment." My grandmother has rented from Jones Equities for over 30 years. Her first apartment at 415 Argyle Rd, Apt 3F, was forced to move out due to unfair rent increases, having to downgrade and move into her current apartment. My grandmother took the apartment because it was affordable and out of fear of the thought of being homeless. The video of the flood happened in August 2019. (unable to upload video on here) A pipe burst inside of her toilet, and the fire department was called, resulting in them having to go deep inside the toilet to tighten the pipe that caused the flood. Due to the flood not being her fault, my grandmother was promised by one of the former managers she would be reimbursed for all damages that were caused to her belongings. My grandmother was never reimbursed. My grandmother went out of her savings to replace all of her belongings. My grandfather who suffers from multiple sclerosis was moved to a nursing home due to his falls because of the uneven floors. My grandmother now suffers from dementia, and being in a familiar place with a loved one to care for her will help aid. However, living under these circumstances is not livable. From the patch-up work underneath the toilet and the walls in the bathroom. The floors, the bare minimum paint job on the kitchen cabinets, and barely open draws are disgusting and disrespectful. It is disrespectful to state it is a privilege to move back into your home when you were a victim of unforsaken circumstances! It is clear that the situation regarding the apartment is unacceptable, and the response from the office staff is utterly insensitive to the long-term tenant's needs. The lack of proper repairs and compensation for damages caused by the flood and the uneven floors pose a significant risk to the safety and well-being of the tenant and her family. It is essential that Jones Equities address these issues immediately and provide proper support and compensation to their tenants. To say that it is a privilege to move back into one's home is disrespectful and shows a lack of empathy and care for their tenants. Landlords and property management companies must prioritize the safety and well-being of their tenants and provide them with the respect and dignity they deserve. read more

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Worst management company ever! They screwed up their bookkeeping so that they "forgot" to return my security deposit, and it's been five months!!! Finally I produced copies of the cancelled check, to prove that I had paid the security deposit, and now they say, yes, you paid it and we owe it to you, but first we have to do a review of all 12 months that you leased from us to make sure that you really paid your rent each month." OUTRAGEOUS. THEY ARE CROOKS!!! DO NOT RENT FROM THEM!!!!!! read more

the apartment I am in is awesome. love the neighborhood. BUT YOUR PACKAGES WILL GET STOLEN. Check out my video after coming in from the grocery store to check if I got any mail yet:https://youtu.be/kGR_HnoWnss read more

Before I moved in here is what they told me: -There is a pending MCI increase. Won't be done for a few years. -There were bed bugs but there hasn't been an incident in a while and they are gone! -The apartment is stabilized. The rent increase will be based on what the city determines. So your rent won't increase by much next year. After I moved in: -You need to cover 75% of the apartment with carpet or rug. So I carpet the place then I find out that: -Bed bugs are back. Come to find out from tenants they were never exterminated. -MCI Rent increase will hit you this year! -By the way, 17%+ rent increase because we buried a rent concession in your lease and didn't explain what that meant. Never told: -There was a flood in the apartment which resulted in structural damage. That explains why my entire unit is slanted and not level. Things roll off my tables all the time. Liars and cheats. Worst of the worst. Avoid at all costs. read more

Yeah, these guys are the absolute worst. If you are looking to sign a lease with them: please, I implore you to save yourself from the misery that is having to give rent to these shady crooks every month. My partner and I moved into one of their buildings only four months ago, and after everything they've put us through, we are 100% certain we will be finding a new apartment as soon as our lease is up... if not sooner. They are incredibly neglectful of our building; the common spaces literally all smell like either cigarettes (because some tenants smoke in the hallways and the management and super do nothing to stop them) or human urine (because there are several homeless men who regularly gain entry to our building and urinate in the hallways... again, the management does next to nothing to curb this.) We get tons of secondhand smoke in our apartment, and have spoken with our building manager repeatedly about it, as well as the homeless problem. He always tells us they are "in the process of installing security cameras" to crack down on these issues. He's been saying this for four months and there has been no change. Speaking of which, they have absolutely no qualms about lying to their tenants. Before my partner and I signed our lease, Jonas Equities assured us that there had been no bedbugs in the building within the last year. Then, guess what! We got bedbugs literally within the first two months of living here. When we told our building manager, he assured us that there were absolutely no bedbugs reported in any other apartments at the time we had them. We later found, by looking at the online 311 records, that an apartment on the floor below us had reported bedbugs just a week before we got them. On top of that, we learned from other tenants that bedbugs was one of the biggest and most pervasive complaints that the building's tenants had been dealing with, just within the last 3-4 months before we moved in... which Jonas Equities had completely lied about. Our building is rent-controlled. Most of the tenants have lived here for anywhere from 10-50 years; most of them are low-income, elderly, and families, and pay very low rent for the neighborhood. We have heard stories from these tenants about black mold growing in gaping holes in their ceilings, that goes illegally neglected for months on end despite numerous complaints. The old woman who lives next door to us told us that she can't sleep at night because of the secondhand cigarette smoke leeching into her apartment. The other tenants in our building have literally held building-wide meetings to discuss the myriad malpractices and violations that the landlords inflict, because so many people are sick and tired of Jonas Equities' corruption and disrespect. Basically, these landlords don't give a shit about their tenants. They are out to make as much money as possible off of the people in their buildings, while treating them as poorly as possible and cutting as many corners as they can. I sincerely hope that this review can save someone from making the same mistake we did: please don't give Jonas Equities your money. read more

I did not give this company one star because there are some things they do get right. The area in front of their buildings are appealing, there is some semblance of maintenance (I'll get back to this however), and the elevators work. Additionally the apartments, on their surface, are nice for the price range. Herein, however are the issues: -- The management office tends to be unresponsive. My husband has called the office on a number of occasions to ask for serious repairs. No one has gotten back to him. -- The response is usually unpleasant. This unpleasantness is a deterrent to other possible interactions. -- Construction on the building is questionable. They may make improvements, but I do not think they are to code. -- The "super' (as I loosely will call him), is, at best, mediocre at his job. He can be unresponsive, unwilling to do his job, and willfully "thick". For instance, he decided to come by to fix some of the issues we had been having in our apartment during the hours we told him WE WOULD NOT BE HOME! He documented these times just so the management company would have a paper trail. -- In our building they have "emergency" water shutdowns every other month. I have been here for three years. This is not an exaggeration. I will document this from here on out and post the pictures here (i also believe some of my fellow tenants have pictures of these postings as well). -- Lastly, this management company is unwilling to work with any businesses on Saturdays. (Of course, I know why. I live near Borough Park). When asked why we could not have any work done while we were here on Saturdays, the super said "I can't shut the water off on Saturday". When I asked if this was a law, he said it was because of the management company, and that they could not get materials on Saturdays. I then said there was Home Depot and Lowe's and the like. these stores are open. He kept telling me to ask the management company. I am truly beyond words with this. If you have several large buildings of over a hundred+ tenants each, you need to be able to get things done 24-7. I am appalled that this is not the case. I and my fellow tenants have other issues as well (older tenants being harassed into leaving, repairs not being done, etc.) but I can not say with certainty, nor do I feel comfortable reviewing something that has not personally happened (or has been observed) by me. There actually ARE a number of management companies with whom one can work in New York, and I am quite sure fellow Yelpers, 311, and Better Business Bureau may be helpful in this regard. If you are desperate for an apartment and think you will not need to have anything fixed on a timely basis, or if you do not work during the day away from your home, I think Jonas Equities will be the right place for you. Otherwise, steer clear! read more

Building manager was good, got stuff done and was easy to reach but the building itself was awful... Huge bug problem... Stay away from 15 Crooke Ave. I wish they were better about it. read more

MAKING THE WORLD AN UGLIER PLACE ONE LEASE AT A TIME!!!! They've availed themselves of every trick in the book. Like rats they crawl through the cracks thanks to the rot that is the New York state housing law. MCI's and vacancy leases are the goal! They have nice properties and walk a fine line between improvements/renovations and disrepair/abandonment. The trick is to have nice enough apartments to get folks in the door to sign the lease. Then if you ignore common space improvements and building services for long enough those folks will get fed up and leave. Hopefully they'll get an MCI approved every other year or so and then presto/chango they can double the rent every 3-5 years. Another good one is "renovations" where you paint the walls with cheap primer (not paint) and literally slap grout over every tiled surface and buy whatever appliance is on sale at the damaged/open box outlet store and use receipts from all the other renovations to claim that you paid 4x more than you did on the renovation and then add that to the vacancy lease which adds 18% without the renovation. Then when you go for the MCI (major capital improvement) you make sure you've got more than one of the same project going on so you can share receipts for that job to triple that bill when you submit the MCI to the state. The one thing they have spent good money on are IP video systems. This is useful when residents get fed up and take out their frustrations on the 60 year old graffiti-laden elevator walls. That way they don't have to pay for the inevitable elevator upgrade themselves. They can just charge that guy on camera! The other way to drive people out of the building is to start renovations and then leave them half done with construction materials piled up in the halls and bare walls and exposed steel for YEARS on end. They are ugly scavengers with no respect for the community. Do you know how landlords stay in power in Brooklyn? ANY WAY THEY CAN read more

I've lived in one of their buildings for a little over two years now. And my hubs and I almost decided not to lease with them because of all of their terrible Yelp reviews. I'm glad we just went for it. Honestly, compared to other apartments that we've lived in where the owner of the bldg is also the manager (so smaller bldgs or townhomes), this experience has been much better. Management is generally very responsive. We had both a hole in the wall and a bathroom ceiling leak and they fixed both relatively quickly (they have staff handyman and contractors). The building is kept clean too because there is a dedicated person to do it and he's awesome. We've had a few cockroachies here and there but an exterminator comes monthly more or less. And what is NYC livin w/o a cockroach here and there? The criticism that mgmt cares about extracting maximum $$ is fair but also true of 99% of businesses. Yeah, they want maximum $ for each unit. Duh. But they disclose everything at lease signing, i.e., what the previous rent was and how they arrived at the current rent. I also find that the other apt renters are also really nice, the ones that have been here forever and the new ones. So it's good! At least it is for the 217 E. 7th St bldg. read more

The Management company consists of rude people who just want to bully their way in your pocket and in your wallet. There's an older lady that works there that is out of this world rude and impatient - don't know why she still not let go yet - she makes mistakes and gets on my nerve and its not only me who thinks that why. They want to charge $30 more than what my security payment increase suppose to be and when asked why? They give you a vague answer that is not found anywhere in the leasing contract and their leasing contract is a work 'art' too. The management company that is comprised by the landlord and his relatives so it seems in an effort to make apts non rent control. Their Management is Created for sake not providing rent controlled or stabilized they sub-lease and they come up with their own yearly increases based on what they feel like a sub-leaser should give them on a year to year basis. The bottom line is please don't make a mistake on making business with this Equity company. read more

This is long overdue but after reading his/her review, Ducky K may just have moved into my old apartment. Do NOT rent from Jonas at all costs. First and foremost, they had me jump through hoops to get approved for my apartment, even going so far to request a letter from my student loan company that I was able to defer payments if I somehow lost my job JUST so I'd be able to pay my rent. After going through that, surely this was a reputable company since they thoroughly screened tenants right? Not at all. -I signed a lease for a specific rental price only for an MCI increase to kick in ONE month after I moved in, increasing my rent $60+ instantly. -I was given a lease document stating that my specific floor hadn't had issues with bedbugs within the past year which was a flat out lie. -The man next door to me had bed bugs (and apparently everyone knew) yet his apartment was never treated so they found their way into my unit which was frankly traumatizing. Once I found out that they intentionally withheld this info I threatened to sue and as a testament to how shady this company is, I recouped over $5,000 from them w/ no outside parties involved since they knew I would win in housing court. -The neighbors above me had the police called on them regularly for DV and management turned a blind eye after numerous complaints from tenants. -They lure tenants in under a "preferential rent" only to raise it to market rent at the end of their lease which is usually at least $200 more a month so flat out no longer affordable for most. They do this on purpose to raise the rent under the terms of vacancy lease laws which will eventually destabilize all of the rent stabilized apartments. -They take their sweet time returning your security deposit and I'm sure I only got mine (after 2+ months) because I filed a formal complaint with NYC Housing Authority. Trust me, it isn't worth it. read more

In the grand scheme of landlords in Brooklyn, these guys have been the most accessible I've had in my 12 years in NYC. Someone is always able to answer a text alerting them to a service the apartment requires, and then make a timely appointment to make sure the matter is attended to. Our building is old (Jonas just acquired it) and is in need of some work on the plumbing which they have started on as soon as they realized it needed to be done, and Sam considerately texts myself and the other tenants to alert us when and how long the water will be off for repairs (never more and a half-hour here and there). Our last management agency would turn the water off unexpectedly for entire days. I've been in the shower covered in soap only to have the water turn freezing and then stop completely unable to rinse even in the sink. Overall, Jonas has made things in our building much better. read more

I've lived here for over a decade (at 222 east 8th). So my review is coming from the perspective of a long time resident. Here are some pros and cons: 1. Rent is cheap (a little over $1k for a one bedroom but that's because I've lived here for so long). I know that if you want to move into here now you won't get rent anywhere close to that price. It's rent controlled so my rent only goes up a little bit every year. However, they try all types of tricks to raise the rent, predominantly MCI (major capital improvements). For example, a couple of years ago they replaced the elevator and did some outer construction on the apartments with balconies. They increased everyone's rent in the building, claiming outrageous prices for the upgrades. They claimed the new elevator alone cost them $100,000. I don't buy it for a second. They recently installed a crap ton of unnecessary cameras (they are literally in every nook and cranny) and I'm waiting to get a letter from them about how much this bs cost to install - mind you no one asked to be hypersurvellied like this. What's more is that you pay for the MCI not until the debt is payed off, but continuously! In perpetuity! It's a great way for them to jack up the rent. 2. The lobby is clean but the hallways and stairs are filthy. The super wipes it down once a week but it does nothing to help. I really wish they would buff the floors once or twice a year. 3. Bed bugs, roaches, and mice are a thing, but that's NYC for you. We've had beg bugs twice now and each time the management office pays a company to come and exterminate them. That did nothing for us, so my father took matters into his own hands and bought a hot steam machine and that's what finally killed them! However, not before spending a lot of money on new furniture and rugs. 4. I've never had an issue asking the office to fix something. If you report it to the super you will have it fixed within the week. They are good at helping with maintenance. 5. There is a small laundry facility in the basement with 5 laundry machines and 4 dryers. The machines suck and never wash my clothes well but that tends to be the case for communal washing machines. That's not really the fault of the management office. 6. The apartments themselves are spacious and have large windows. I get a lot of sunlight into my apartment which I love. However, bathroom and kitchen are filled with furniture and appliances that are grade-level. The cheapest they could find I'm sure. Overall I've enjoyed living in this complex and would recommend it. I just wish it was cleaner and they wouldn't try so hard to extract money from the tenants. read more

I generally do not write Yelp reviews; however, hopefully this review would help someone. Jonas Equities owns beautiful properties will big spacious rooms which is the appeal to their apartments. The issue is that their properties are not well kept. I personally witness reservations being done to an apartment that was recently vacated after over 10 years. The electrical wiring was old and visibly rusted, the wood was molded and rotten but the renovations were cosmetic just covering up the issues. There was very little change in that apartment. The management company is not responsive to repair request and when they do make repairs they try to make the tenant flip the bill and cover the cost of maintaining the apartments which is their responsibility. Calling the office is aggravating at put it lightly. I will never understand why when you speak to the property manager about repairs; he is often angry and rude. It is our responsibility as tenants to make the management company aware of any necessary repairs that may be needed in our apartments and it is the management company/landlords responsibility to provide a safe living environment. Generally when you do get a response from them, they just give you the number of their plumber, electrician, handy man, etc and tell you to call and make an appointment yourself. Given this, the anger, aggression and rudeness that I deal with when I call the office is completely unnecessary and uncalled for. The super does the minimum. His mantra seems to be "I'm in a union, that's not my job". I've been in my apartment for a number of years and I have yet to learn what his job is. He lives on premises rent free; at the very least I would expect him to clean the hallways and stairwells since he is also a tenant. There are cobwebs that form underneath the stairwells. Should there be a spill on Friday, it would not get cleaned up until Tuesday. There are consistent building repairs being done and as walls are floors are being opened up, we've experienced bug and pest infestations from roached, to mice. The date and time of the exterminator is never posted therefore it make making accommodations to have someone home or be home to open the door for exterminators is challenging which only make the situation even more challenging. The building had been well maintained in the past, however, since Jonas Equities took over, there has been major lapses in the quality of service. Which is sad, because we have nice neighbors and live in a good neighborhood, but people are consistently moving out and they all have the same story, they got tired of fighting with the management company to get simple repairs done! read more

Based on the other reviews here, I may irk some for assigning 4 stars. However, I can only speak to my experience, which has, by and large, been neutral to positive. I have been renting in Brooklyn for 18 years, and have lived under several landlords/management entities. I mention this because if anyone has lived in New York extensively, and come under the umbrella of a real slumlord, which Jonas is most certainly not (sorry some fellow reviewers), they already know the difference. I left a more detailed Google review, relating some of my previous landlord horrors, and I will suffice to say here that any issues I have had with Jonas have been purely in the realm of what I term 'first world problems', which covers normal, and generic. Nothing is perfect. Now, I am to landlords what most landlords are to tenants, a living f**king nightmare. If there is a problem, I want it fixed before it occurred. I have called the office enraged over trivialities that did not warrant a call, they engage me without prejudice. I am on New York burnout, and have patience with nothing anymore. But I am still aware that I live in a big grinding mess of a city where things go wrong and people have top come together. Jonas as an entity, and as individuals, have always held an open door to me. They have quite a few buildings in pretty areas, I've seen a couple, commensurate to the pricing, they were above average. But I speak to service here in this review. They will treat you like a person, in my experience, not as a ledger number. So, I strongly refute any slumlord assertions. I know these guys pretty damn well for better or worse, and they have done their best as managers within the scope of their responsibilities. read more