I have never felt this frustrated, humiliated, and helpless in all my life. Sackman Enterprises has blatantly lied to me, and they are now holding me hostage in my own apartment.
Around 6 weeks ago, I tried to initiate a conversation with Sackman as to how I could exit my current apartment lease without incurring financial penalties. After 3 weeks of calling them, I finally got somebody on the phone. She informed me that there would be no financial penalties so long as a suitable tenant could be found to take over the lease. She instructed me to simply send a fax to Sackman stating my intent to exit the lease.
Three weeks later (6 weeks after my initial phone call!) I received a phone call from our property manager (aka Sharia). The first words out of her mouth were, "Hi, this is Sharia. I'm just calling to let you know that there's no way this fax will ever be signed." Sackman was not only 6 weeks late in calling me back, they called back with hostility, rudeness, and a sudden reversal of a policy that I confirmed only 3 weeks earlier.
Sharia essentially explained to me that Sackman has a "new" policy that breaking a lease incurs a one-month "penalty fee". She went on to explain that this fee is used to cover their "expenses". When I asked her to put that in writing and explain what those expenses were, she flat-out refused to comply. She told me, "I will tell you verbally, but I will not put that in writing."
When we came at a dead-end, she became condescending and rude. She was essentially laughing at my frustration and antagonizing me as I continued to ask questions. I have never felt more helpless in my life.
In addition to this incident, here are some other things you should be aware of. Sackman rents its apartments through Keyah Enterprises, which is its wholly owned subsidiary. Sackman is a property management company, but through Keyah they are allowed to charge a 15% realty fee to their tenants. The catch is that Sackman and Keyah are owned by the same people! They are weasling a 15% realty fee, simply by creating a separate paper corporation.
Also, our building has been burdened with construction 6 days a week. Working from home is completely impossible, and sleeping past 8AM on Saturdays is even more difficult. During the winter, we had several hot water shortages a week (because Sackman picks up the tab for heat and hot water, they probably found it a very convenient way for them to save money).
My advice to you is to live anywhere but a Sackman-owned property. I would never wish a Sackman experience on anyone. There are plenty of good landlords throughout New York. Subjecting yourself to this treatment is not necessary.
Mark
New York, New York
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