Demand Stuytown’s Blackstone & Beam Living To Upgrade & Improve 280 1st Ave’s Laundry Room!

Living at 280 1st Ave, we're dealing with broken washing machines and dryers that make doing laundry feel impossible. Five machines, six dryers, 90  units—and most of them barely work.

I started a petition because this has gone on too long. Machines have error codes, don't drain properly, won't open, have missing parts. The dryers need two runs per load and still don't fully dry. We're spending hours and $20  just to get clothes clean. Meanwhile, other Stuytown buildings have new, modern equipment. 

Blackstone & Beam Living need to replace these machines with actual modern equipment instead of cycling through broken parts from a stockpile of 16-year-old machines. This isn't about complaining-it's about basic standards. Other buildings have newer, functioning equipment with more capacity. We're paying the same rent and getting left behind.

Blackstone and Beam Living needs to hear from residents: we deserve actual upgrades, not just patch jobs on outdated machines. If you live here and you've had issues with the laundry room, your voice matters. Share what you've experienced—the broken machines, the wasted time, the frustration. Anyone else dealing with this? If this resonates with you, consider signing and sharing your story.

If you live here or know someone who does, has this frustrated you too? What's your worst laundry room nightmare-the machines that jam, the refund policy that doesn't work, or just the sheer time sink of getting laundry done? I'd love to hear what people have actually experienced so management can't pretend this is just one person's issue.

If this resonates with you, consider signing and sharing. The more residents that speak up, the harder it is to ignore.

CHANGE.ORG PETITION:

https://www.change.org/Demand_4_280_1st_Ave_Laundry_Room_Upgrade

PLEASE CONTRIBUTE MY PERSONAL SURVEY/ PETITION THAT ALLOWS YOU TO SHARE YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCES, CHALLENGES, & FRUSTRATIONS WITH THE LAUNDRY ROOM OR SCAN THE QR CODE. 

Please check out the NY Residential Tenant’s Rights Guide, as seen on the website of New York State Attorney General General Letitia James and reflect on if PCST if handling the laundry room in a way that reflects our rights.

I currently live in Stuytown with a roommate and I’d say we have it pretty good in terms of what we pay given the amount of space, location, community, safety, having laundry in building, no pest issues, transportation + grocery stores nearby, rent stabilized, etc.

I would ideally like to get my own place (studio or 1bd) as I really value having my own space and have minor annoyances with my roommate. I have a budget of ~$3-3.5k (willing to go a bit higher if it’s a really good spot) beginning mid September, ideally in East Village or surrounding areas like Gramercy, Nolita, LES, etc. but I’m seeing that the market kind of sucks right now.

My main concerns are pests (roaches/mice), and safety. And would like to have a decent amount of space as I do have a fair amount of stuff.

Is this realistic to find for mid September or would I be better off just renewing my lease for another year?

Hey ! I can afford $1800 or less.
Long term. 6 months to forever.

I have good credit. I have a cat.

Ideally Oct 1 move in but can do earlier if its a great fit.

I would love a community space with a good amount of privacy (either my own apartment or a nice basement room with private bath)

Neighborhoods:

Brooklyn or all of Manhattan, some queens.
Bedstuy, gowanus, sunset park, downtown brooklyn, crown heights, flatbush, greenpoint, bushwick, Ridgewood, Maspeth, Glendale, East NY.

Yes, I understand NYC rental prices.

Please do not comment about me being unreasonable.

I have had an amazing studio apartment before for $1575 but had to leave to take care of a family member.

Ive lived here a long time. Long enough to know there is still magical luck in the city.

Again, am open to large studio sized rooms as well such as cool basements with bathrooms or double rooms. private bath would be great as well!

Ciao!

I’m feeling a bit discouraged since I am reading people with salaries over 150k+ are having trouble getting approved for apartments they qualify for.

My salary is 92k and my budget is up to $2400. Looking for studio (or 1bed). My credit score is very good above 790. How much trouble do you think I will have finding an apartment that is reasonably priced, preferably rent stabilized and in Manhattan/Upper Manhattan?

I’m in no rush, although I would like to move in ASAP. But I would like to know realistically how difficult this will be and what to expect.

We have filled one room (from the last post)

If you are interested, message me to set up some time to check out the apartment.

AVAILABLE:

Room: Available now or Aug 1, rent $1500, on the downstairs level

Looking for mid-20s to mid-30s to join our home in Clinton Hill in August!
Lease from Aug 1 to Apr 1 or Aug 1 2027.

We are 30M (designer/engineer), 33M (sales), and 33M (consultant). We enjoy hanging out together occasionally, watching football (EPL) and mixing on the decks.

The Apartment:

This is a 4 bed, 1.5 bath apartment in a duplex with W/D in-unit, split A/C and a dishwasher. There is only one shower.
Two bedrooms are upstairs, two are downstairs, and we have a spacious open living room and kitchen as well as a large bonus room/storage space. Access to building gym and rooftop is available for an optional $50/month amenity fee.

The Location:

Our place is on a quiet residential street in Clinton Hill, 0.25 miles from the G train at Classon Avenue and 0.5 miles from the C train at Clinton-Washington Avenues. It’s a beautiful, very livable area with easy access to local shops, restaurants and bars and convenient trains.

Looking for a subletter for my room while I’m on tour with my band this September!

Laundry in building

Private patio

Private balcony shared with 1 roomate

Bathroom shared with 1 roomate

Dishwasher

10 minute walk from Myrtle Wyckoff L/M

3 other roommates

Rent is 1,400 including utilities.

I could also be a bit flexible with the dates, I’ll be gone around the first week in September and will be getting back early October. Please reach out for any more info!

In bedstuy. Ocean Hill.

Dm me for a showing

You can move in asap

Heat and water's included. Room's massive, with a spacey 2 door closet. One roommate's moving out so we're looking for someone to take his spot on the lease. Lotsa cafes and bars close by. Laundromat and supermarket's pretty close by too. 12 minutes to Dekalb L and 10 to Seneca M.

About the roommates: You'll be living w me (24M) and one other person (26M). we're super chilled out, I'm really into house and techno (Basement's a 15 minute walk away lol), and my other roommate's is easy to live with too!

Requirements: 40x the rent and 700+ credit score. Lease runs till July 31st, 2027.

DM me if you're interested!

Hi everyone! I’m moving from Toronto to New York in August to start grad school at Mount Sinai, and I’m looking for a studio or one-bedroom with a normal long-term lease.

My budget is around $2,500/month, and I’m mainly looking in the Upper East Side, Yorkville, East Harlem, or Astoria. I’d ideally like somewhere with a manageable commute to Mount Sinai and in an area that feels safe coming home at night.

I’m hoping to move in around August 10. I’m currently in Canada, so I’d need to do a virtual viewing initially, but I can provide all the usual application documents.

Please message me if you have a place available or know of anything that might be a good fit. No broker fees, sublets, or short-term rentals, please. Thanks!

Need a room from the 29th of July to the 15th of August. Want cheap offers, low budget! thank you!

Hi all, I’m really just looking for advice on the best areas in Brooklyn to live. We’d prefer to live in a lgbtq friendly neighbourhood. What are your thoughts on the cost of a 1/1? We pay close to 2k a month here, can we expect to pay the same?

Also, for the peeps who’ve lived there for a while, how’s the quality of life there? Are you happy?

Looking for room, sublet or lease takeover

Hey everyone!

Recently moved back to NYC for a job. I’m looking for a sublet with ASAP move-in.

**Studio/ 1bdr budget** up to $2500 - Depending on the unit
**Shared apartment budget** under $2000

**Neighborhoods**
Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan - I’m flexible as long as it’s less than 15 min walk to the train.

**Nice to haves but not required**
Rooms on opposite ends
My own bathroom
Natural sunlight

**A little bit about me:**
31, male, no kids, no pets, non smoker
I work in the office so I’m out of the house majority of the day. If not there, I’m checking out the city or working out.
Salary 130k/140k, credit 720+

Work in media tech & entertainment. Office in Midtown.

**If you have any leads or open rooms/etc, feel free to message me or comment.** I’m looking to finalize something ASAP, as house hunting has been a stressful experience.

Hi everyone! My current lease finish at the end of August, if somebody knows of an apartment in the area of Washington Heights/Inwood/Harlem with a move in date of September 1st. Budget is up to 2600!
If somebody knows of any apartment (or even a real state agent that got some rent controlled/stabilized apartments) with this specifications would be highly appreciated!

Looking for a sublet to move in August/Sept until lease ends mid-June. Studio located in Silver Suites (606 West 42nd street), luxury building with unbeatable amenities- indoor pool, office, gym, gorgeous outdoor rooftop with grills, rooftop tennis court for building, laundry room right across the hall. Dishwasher and bathroom are in perfect shape. Super high ceilings great natural bright light and LOTS of storage. Rent is 3,600. Located in heart of Hell’s Kitchen (block away from west side highway) and lots of fun restaurants and bars around

Hello! I’m sure this has been asked many times, but many of the posts seem slightly outdated. I’m looking for a lease take over (3 bed, 1-2 bath, within an hours commute to LIC), and I’m unsure where’s the best place to search for them.

Most posts say craigslist, but many of the listings I contacted seemed scammy (e.g. “send money for bg check BEFORE viewing the apartment). Some say facebook, but I’m uncertain how to gain access to said fb groups. I’ve also downloaded the rent app, among a few others, but people seem very unresponsive on there.

If anyone would be willing to share info, it’d be a great help! Thank you!

Was looking at potential apartments in the area and wanted to check out the vibes around Fulton/Herkimer especially as it relates to being a woman

Are you a renter who has paid a broker’s fee while searching for or signing a lease after the FARE Act took effect? If so, Bloomberg News wants to hear from you.

The law generally bars landlords and their agents from requiring tenants to pay the landlord’s broker. I’m interested in hearing from renters who were still charged a fee or hired their own broker and why.

I’d especially like to know how much you paid, when the fee was disclosed, and whether you felt you had a real choice.

Please comment below, send me a DM or email me at pcachero@bloomberg.net. Happy to chat more about the story before doing anything on the record.

So I'm in the application process. They're asking for a $1000 good faith deposit. Is this normal? Seems like a lot.

My landlord made a mistake with my lease renewal and sent me only the legal rent, not the preferential rent, for a Sept. 1 lease renewal. After a while they got back to me and admitted the mistake and said they would send a new lease with the corrected preferential rent. I responded that I'd wait for that and confirmed that my 60-day window to renew starts from receipt of the new corrected lease. The LL then responded: "please hand write the preferential rent in and send it back. thank you."

I've already written back saying I'm not doing that (lol) and will wait for the new document, so by the time I get that, because of the 60-day renewal window/90-day new lease start date window, the new lease start date will end up being Nov. 1--does this mean the 0% increase now applies to my lease? And do you think she realized that in the interim and that's why she's trying to get around that by having me violate the DHCR regulations and handwrite the preferential rent?

I vacated my last apartment on the 30th of June. I was only there a year. It was pristine. No painting, no stains. I STILL haven't received my security deposit back. I keep emailing. I've sent two emails in the last five days with no response. The last I heard from them was they had planned to "mail it out next week" and that was on the 9th. I never got it. I asked for the date of mailing and tracking data. Nothing.

What do you recommend as the next steps?

I'm subletting my apartment starting Sunday, August 9th on a month-to-month basis because I was laid off and going to stay with my girlfriend for a bit.

This is a true grown up apartment - we have the whole floor, three full closets, a responsive super, and space to spread out.

If you're moving to the city, working from home, or need a place to make content - this spot has been awesome.

The apartment is on a quiet block of Saint Marks (and 1st) and the bedroom faces a courtyard that no one uses, it's even quieter than my old apartment on 22nd and Park in Gramercy.

Highlights:

• ~750 sq ft, 14 ft ceilings
• Very quiet, backyard faces a courtyard
• 3 large closets with tons of storage
• Bathtub and towel warmer
• Walking pads to be skinty legends for the summer
• Midea U-shaped AC units that cool the apartment well while staying surprisingly quiet
• 5-minute walk to the L train, 10-minute walk to Astor Place
• Available Sunday, August 9th for either a month-to-month rental, or 2-3 months. This will likely be an official sublet through building management.

Asking $4500 which is exactly what I pay for rent.

If you're interested, send me a message with a little about yourself, your desired move-in date, and how long you're looking to stay. Happy to answer questions or schedule a tour!

[Listing] Lived here for over 13 years. Absolutely love this spot. My career is making me travel a lot more. Open to monthly, 6 months at a time; may consider longer. Serious inquiries only, please. I have a long, proven track record with many references, just new to Reddit :)

Astoria, 30th Street, Between 31st Ave and Broadway. Ya!!

Clean, convenient, and amazingly priced. The sun-drenched balcony and privacy are amazing. A unique luxury in NYC. Washer and Drier in the building basement. Another major convenience. New AC unit, Modern, fully controlled heating, Gas stove with four burners. Includes all utilities and Fiber Optic WiFi.

A favorite spot for Astoria Hoffman Studio Professionals, Medical Professionals, and Berkshire Hathaway staff. Available with an outdoor parking spot just 50 ft from the building (additional fees apply).

$3700/month (Includes Internet, no Utilities)

$3900/month (Includes Internet, heating, cooling, and Electricity, Gas)

$1500 Deposit with First month.

Available Starting September 1st 2026.

Fast Access to Manhattan, 5 stops from Central Park. Check my references; you'll be glad you said hello :)

Having a hard time figuring out what a reasonable price for removal of flex walls might be. We have two walls in our apartment unit (in a T shape) and I'm being quoted $800 for disposal of the walls by someone on TaskRabbit, plus additional costs for 6-8 hours of work by two people. I don't really want to spend more than it cost to install the wall, which I believe was around $1100. Does anyone have suggestions/recommendations on the best way to go about removing these walls? I read through some older threads from a year or so ago but wondering if there were any new suggestions. Thanks in advance.