This real estate company may actually win the award of the WORST leasing agency in NYC (which is really saying something). I have had 5 landlords in NYC so far, some great others not so great but this company takes the cake as the most horrible experience of renting I have ever had. Rats in the hallway and entrance way. Completely unsafe building with several break ins one at gunpoint!! No communication. Don't reply to emails or answer the phone. ZERO care for their tenants. I mean really couldn't get much worse than this. So glad I got out of there. read more

Slumlords. Dealing with this management company has been a complete nightmare. No consistent heat, hot water, or building maintenance. The staff constantly lies to you, refuses to divulge information, or help with anything. Essentially they just tell you what you want to hear to get you off the phone. They are snakes and raise the rent as much as possible, forcing small businesses out of their ground-floor retail spaces. Do not rent from this company, there are better places in NYC. read more

Jeanette is an absolute pleasure to work with! She is so personable and is so helpful. It is so nice to have someone on your side when going through the stress of a lease. No matter how busy she is, she always is responsive and willing to make time for you. Compared to other partners we worked with during this process, she was a true bright spot. In the future, I will try and work with her when looking for an apartment. read more

don't ever rent an apartment from this company. - Lying staff, makes excuses. You'll have to wait weeks and pester them with calls to get ANYTHING (including information) - Heat, Hot Water, Maintenance, all inconsistent and unavailable. - You will not get the utilities you pay for. For example, they sell the units advertising in-building washing machines (and jack the rent as a result), but the actual laundry room is always closed and have failed city inspections for safety. - The super tries to charge you hundreds of dollars extra under the table for basic tasks - The building manager will claim to not remember anything you say - Very shoddy installation of AC units, internet cables, refrigeration units, shower units, baths, and sinks. Don't expect them to come fix it either This company takes advantage of location-based demand to jack up their prices but does not provide anything in return. Don't let the real estate agents lie to you or upsell you either -- this whole "one free month" thing they do? That's so they can have the rent be much higher on paper, and if you try to reup your lease they'll jack it up even further to push you out. Put your money into a company that isn't as predatory and manipulative, or at least one that does the most basic description of their duties. read more

I live in one of the buildings that has been managed by SMA Equities and they have created many problems for their tenants including: hazardous construction, exposure to large amounts of lead dust, ceiling collapses, interrupted heat and hot water during winter, failure to send tenants new leases, removal of electric meters, and broken intercoms. The individual workers for SMA can behave in a professional manner which is appreciated but this does little to make up for all of the problems they have caused. Exposing tenants to hazardous lead dust has happened at many of their buildings. The buildings they run are from an earlier period when lead paint was used. In order to make the buildings look more modern SMA removes this paint from the walls and does so in such an unsafe manner that buildings have had lead levels at close to 3,000 times the federal threshold. There are many news articles that have been written about SMA the person who runs it, Samy Mahfar- in particular if you search on "Samy Mahfar lead" they will be easy to find. There are also other Yelp reviews for SMA Equities here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/sma-equities-great-neck . Buildings managed by SMA Equities include: 113 Stanton st., 102 Norfolk st., 22 Spring st., 210 Rivington st., 143 Ludlow st., and 177 Ludlow st. read more

There are always a lot of issues with landlords and management companies, especially in NYC, so I am only going to focus on the positive. From the management side- most people there are not fun to deal with, Jeanette on the other hand is the best! Always responsive, understanding, and kind. From the ownership side- I only ever dealt with one partner- Michael. I have a real estate background and can say that he is as professional, level-headed, down to earth, fair and as honest as anyone I have ever encountered. He actually cares about people in a genuine way. read more

LET THE RENTER BEWARE!!! IN FACT, RUN. RUN FAR AWAY FROM SMA EQUITIES and SAMY MAHFAR. It's NEVER a good sign when tenants from multiple buildings have to form an organization to get basic services from their landlord. It's even worse when five documented elected officials, including the attorney state general have to step in due to landlord harassment and creating unsafe living conditions for tenants. SMA EQUITIES and SAMY MAHFAR'S greatest MISSES include: 1) Exposing three buildings in less than four months to toxic lead levels and construction debris harassment towards men/women, children, cancer survivors and elderly tenants. * One building had over 3,000 times the legal lead amount. Another building had over 200 times the legal lead amount, and another building had over 2,000 sq ft of asbestos found. None of the information was voluntarily given to tenants by SMA Equities. Google "Samy Mahfar" 2) Collapsing ceilings 3) Fires due to mismanaged construction 4) Multiple floods 5) Sagging floors 6) Hazardous exposed electrical wires 7) Missing fire extinguishers 8) Faulty carbon monoxide and smoke detectors. 9) Deprivation of heat 10) Lack of hot water 11) Deprivation of electricity 12) Blocked television and internet service 13) Blocked mail delivery Council Member Margaret Chin said, "I stand with tenants and our community housing organizations, as we continue working together to improve quality of life and safety conditions. I continue to strongly condemn any actions by the landlord, Samy Mahfar SMA Equities, to undertake dangerous construction that has already resulted in unsafe lead exposure for the victimized tenants of these Lower East Side buildings. Mr. Mahfar must have a legitimate lead mitigation plan in place before he does any further renovations in these buildings. Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer said, "I've been fighting landlords like Samy Mahfar SMA Equities all over Manhattan - those who refuse to use safe procedures, harass rent-regulated tenants, and only erratically correct HPD violations. Senator Daniel Squadron. We call on Samy Mahfar SMA Equities to use proper lead mitigation techniques when doing renovations and help keep the tenants safe in their homes. I will also continue to work with my colleagues to see how we can strengthen regulations and enforcement to make sure that tenants are informed of lead levels in their buildings." read more

I've been a tenant with SMA Equities for 5 years. I see a lot of complaints from recent tenants and I feel that I should point out that the problem was not with SMA Equities but with this outsouced management team that they acquired with the purchase of new properties. They were a nightmare! We had always had great service from SMA Equities up until we started dealing with that new team then suddenly it was like we were dealing with a slum lord. Once Sammy and his original team found out what was going on they turned things around very quickly. All-in-all I think SMA Equities is a perfectly fine landlord and and Jeanette and her team do a great job managing our building. I just re-signed by lease. read more

SMA Equities has awful building management. They take forever to fix major issues and have little to no regard for any of their tenants. They are unwilling to shell out money to have things fixed correctly and in a timely manner. My LES apartment was in a "gut-renovated" building. Looked great from the outside, but stuff broke left and right. DO NOT RENT FROM THEM. **SEE THE "NOT RECOMMENDED" REVIEWS..SCROLL DOWN FOR LINK** read more

DO NOT RENT WITH SMA EQUITIES I promise you, you must NOT rent from them - they are actual criminals. We were with them for a year, there were countless problems they did not fix. They ignore you, they hang up you, they are hands down the least professional company I have ever dealt with. They have stolen our entire security deposit without any proof of work done on the apartment. They have ruined our whole year in New York - DO NOT WORK WITH THEM. read more

SMA Equities purchased the building I was living in while I was half way through my lease. Immediately following the purchase, the building turned into a hazardous construction site. Men in hardhats filled the hallways while tenants had to navigate the stairs dodging debris, tools and plastic sheets covering doorways. SMA never kept tenants abreast regarding the status of construction and never bothered to check in with tenants regarding their safety and well being. Dust filled the air, bricks fell from the walls and wires hung precariously from the ceiling. Water and electricity was frequently shut off in the building without proper notice, if any. Additionally, many residents were not English speaking so when signs were put up, many tenants were still left in the dark. The majority of tenants living in the building were forced out because SMA raised rent rates unreasonably high. As mentioned, many residents lacked the ability to fight for their rights because English is not their first language. In summation, rent rates sky rocketed while the standard of living plummeted to a depressing low. When tenants tried to reason with SMA, management was either non-responsive or painfully unorganized. There is little to no communication among SMA employees, proven by the number of times my roommates and I have repeated questions and requests. Simply put, SMA Equities is a management company driven by money and greed. There is no compassion and no understanding of basic tenant rights. They do the bare minimum to avoid legal prosecution and nothing more. They turned my apartment into an unpleasant, expensive construction site. I paid more and got significantly less with no remorse from individuals at SMA. I cannot say enough to persuade you not to work with SMA Equities. read more

We had a fantastic experience with SMA, lou the leasing agent was a breeze and was really thorough and helped us find this apartment. The building is pretty new and we had no complaints here. The part I loved most is living in a happening neighborhood where you can always find good eats drinks and a new entertainment. I wish we can stay here for ever and keep loving the high life in the Les. One thing is for certain that the this is the ultimate lifestyle while you're young and Care free. And last but not least, a huge shout out for the staff for making this a wonderful experience for us. read more

Was promised the security deposit 6-8 weeks after we moved out. Didn't get it until 10 weeks later after relentless calling and a threatening email. The people here are completely incompetent and fraudulent. DO NOT RENT from this company. read more

I hate this group. I rented a nice apartment last year for 1,800/m with different management and owner that were good people and had their number in the entry for problems, for example they fixed my broken door knob promptly. But that all changed when SMA took over. No number anywhere and when I called them recently to renew my lease they told me the rent was 2,500. Yes a ~40% increase! Its not worth that much for sure and I got it only a year ago at market rates (was on the market for weeks). They want to turn the tiny 1 bed into a 2 closet bedroom for desperate recent college grads so I'm basically kicked out. They are money hungry people that I wouldn't turn my back on to take a piss. Avoid them... read more

I am pleased to write this review and give back to a company that served us well and went above and beyond to make us happy. The staff and management are super attentive, professional and working with them was an overall positive experience. The apartment was top notch, fully upgraded with all the bells and whistles you can expect when renting in the LES new upgraded appliances, magnificent tile, beautiful trim work etc... Overall this was a very positive experience for us. read more

Dear prospective NYC apartment dweller: If you are reading this before you sign a new apt you are smart enough to research a management company before you sign a lease, so great job. That being said: DO NOT, under any circumstances, rent from SMA Equities. Although renters probably have a bone to pick with all NYC management companies I can say without a doubt that SMA equities is by far one of the worst. A few things I encountered: -no hot water at unexpected times, fairly often -heat did not work for an entire month -literal water leaks coming out of the ceiling -impossible to contact management and super -^when you can they are extra rude -crazy rent hikes year on year -Oh, and the building is infested with bed bugs. So just don't do it. Find a different place. It will be worth it. read more

This company seemed OK prior to signing my lease (though they took ample time before ever replying to emails about concerns), but since actually signing they have been inefficient and unhelpful every time we approached them with a concern. If you are shopping around for a new apartment in New York, I strongly recommend against renting with this company. read more

I've lived in NYC for 5 years now, lived in the west village, east village, noho, williamsburg, and now LES. Never have I ever had such an incredible experience as I have here living at 99 Allen street. First, I'd like to thank Janette Colaianni, who basically manages the place, for always looking out for me. It hard to find people who care not only about your happiness but to make sure everything is taken care of A-Z and she does that. She has made living in this building so smooth for me. The payment process is so easy, talking about renewing my lease etc. The whole process has been just incredible. They are quick to fix issues. I have never felt abandoned like I have at my other locations. They keep the building clean, the trash is always taken out on time. And everything else is just a breeze. Its been a great experience and I just wanted to say thank you for finally making me feel like landlords actually care about their tenants! read more

I moved out July 31st and have still yet to receive my security deposit back despite repeated attempts. Very frustrated

I had terrible experience with SMA Equities. I wouldn't recommend anybody to rent with them. The representative of the company, Liana, was incredibly disrespectful especially during the move-out process. Even though I promptly followed every procedural guideline in my contract, she felt in necessary to pester with phone calls and emails. During the final walkthrough process, she showed no professional decorum. She arrived 2 HOURS late to the appointment and was incredibly rude upon arrival. When I answered her at the door, she didn't even bother to say hello. That issue, which is a personal one at that, I am willing to let go. But the one thing that has absolutely infuriated me is that, even after 55 days (between 30-60 days you are supposed to receive your security deposit back), they still have not contacted me as to how they going to give me my $2,200 security deposit back. Mind you, the only information they have of me is my email address, so it is clear that they have taken no steps to fulfilling their own legal obligations. The only reason I decided to write this review is because of this fact. I have absolutely no respect for SMA Equities as a company and I refuse to ever do business with them again. read more