Tenants in downtown Brooklyn “luxury” building demand answers over elevator issues, discolored water
Residents of The Addison say persistent issues — including unreliable elevators and discolored tap water — have left them frustrated and demanding answers from building management.
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Tenants at a 26-story luxury apartment building in Downtown Brooklyn say they’re paying premium prices for living conditions that fall far short of expectations.
Residents of The Addison say persistent issues — including unreliable elevators and discolored tap water — have left them frustrated and demanding answers from building management.
For many, even getting in and out of the building has become a daily challenge.
“It’s either going to be quick, or it’s going to take you an hour to leave your building,” said tenant Michelle Beatty.
According to residents, elevator problems have dragged on for months. With one elevator out of service for upgrades, tenants say the remaining elevators have struggled to keep up with demand. That’s led to long waits, overcrowded rides, and in some cases, residents being forced to take the stairs.
Beatty says safety concerns have also been an issue.
“It was dropping and would break. People would get stuck in it,” she said. “The most consistent problem was it kind of bouncing or jostling.”
She added that the elevator, which was recently modernized, was still out of service for hours shortly after repairs.
For some residents, the situation has been especially difficult. Beatty recalled a neighbor with limited mobility who had to climb down 18 flights of stairs when elevators weren’t working.
Beyond the elevator concerns, tenants say water quality has been an ongoing issue.
“People have been having brown water issues for years,” Beatty said. “When we reach out to management, their response is simply that it was due to construction in the area.”
Frustrated residents say they are now organizing and speaking out, arguing that the building’s luxury price tag should come with reliable services and amenities.
They also say the problems reflect broader challenges renters face across New York City.
“We have people of varying levels of mobility,” said Beatty. “We have families, we have people who are pregnant,” Beatty said. “You see them giving tours of this place, advertising it as a luxury building, and then you move in, and you feel like it was a bait and switch.”
Beatty, who has lived in the building for 13 years, says multiple changes in management companies haven’t led to meaningful improvements — leaving many residents skeptical that conditions will improve anytime soon.
In part of a statement, a spokesperson for The Dermot Company says: “The Dermot Company takes elevator reliability and resident safety very seriously. We recognize that since these upgraded elevators returned to service, performance has fallen short of both our expectations and those of our residents. While all elevators remain up to code, current on all required inspections and testing, and are maintained by licensed elevator professionals, we fully understand residents’ frustration with the recent downtime and service interruptions and share their desire to see reliability improve.”
The management company added that a senior engineer is actively reviewing the elevators and recent incidents to identify the root cause of these recurring issues.
