| [08-Mar-2019] | Absar Bhatti, 44, who "manages" numerous Albany, NY properties via the shell company "Morning Light Realty, LLC," 762 Madison Avenue, is the most surly, disreputable landlord I have ever encountered. He obtained the building in which I'd resided and was paid to keep clean since 2013 in March of 2015. Depending upon how much he likes or dislikes a tenant, he ignores their concerns regarding uncollected trash, vermin, rooftop rainwater collecting + 10" deep(on an 1859 rooftop, no less), etc.,without any sense of shame or moral conscience then retaliates against any tenant who is forced to complain to the city by not renewing their lease. This was confirmed by a county court decision in 2017 after he'd done so with me. His testimony was deemed "simply incredible." The city's DGS cited him 4 times in 2018 for unsightly, uncollected trash. The city court found vermin-infestation in 2018-while meanwhile financing four luxury vehicles in as many years, he cut out pest control to save a few $$$. Trash companies eschewed his patronage, fed up with chronic late fee remittance, as related by employees.
Though in 66 months, my rent was never a day late, I never violated a lease term or had a complaint made about my conduct, he forced me to move out in the dead of winter, an arduous process for a [disabled] veteran. Two of six apartments were already vacant for months at the time, one for sixteen months! as no one would pay what he claimed was "fair market value." Over two months after I vacated in December, the apt is still vacant. At one point, he allowed a dog into the building in violation of my lease term at the time but failed to address it's profuse shedding, leaving accumulated hair on stairs, etc., for weeks between cleaning. He didn't even ask other tenants if they objected before letting it in. As others have amply opined, if you "want nothing but frustration and aggravation, feel free to rent from Absar Bhatti." If you are a person who doesn't mind returning to your place of residence with overflowing trash out front, with the common areas unkempt, with the steps not cleared of snow until long after you've left for work, then he's the landlord for you! And neither he nor his RE agent feel obligated to tell prospects that the washing machine at 285 is cold water only-who would think to ask? Indeed, he invests amply in renovation of apts with name-brand appliances, etc., but this is merely window dressing for initial leasing appeal. It is in the day-to-day upkeep of premises and obligation to tenants that he fails/neglects inexcusably. He also manages in the same ersatz manner properties at 280 and 287 State Street, among others. At least one former tenant disclosed in 2018 that Bhatti had solicited his favorable review on this site as a quid pro quo for forgiving of repeated late rent without late fees, which accounts for the disparity in the Additional Comments found elsewhere. As of 3/8/2019, HALF of the six apartments at 285 and 287 State Street are vacant, which speaks volumes-hopefully, at least in part, as a result of this site. "RENTER(S) BEWARE!!" |
