WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 37
REAL ESTATE
Queens landlords respond to tenants’ needs quicker than most
BY JACOB KAYE
JKAYE@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
While landlords may hold the
majority of the power in
their relationship with tenants,
there is good news for renters in
Queens, according to the creator of a
new app.
Landlords in Queens respond to
tenants’ needs at a higher and more
frequent rate than landlords in other
New York City boroughs, according
to Allia Mohamed, the co-creator of
Openigloo, an app that allows renters
to rate their landlords and their
buildings.
While the app has only been up and
running for a little over two weeks,
its creators have been able to gather
that because landlords in Queens
tend to operate smaller buildings
with fewer tenants, they’re more
responsive to those who live in their
building. In many cases in Queens,
landlords live in the building they
own alongside their tenants.
“That’s there home, too,” Mohamed
said.
Mohamed and co-creator Srujan
Routhu developed Openigloo to give
renters more power in what they
viewed as an uneven relationship.
“Landlords are looking for tenants’
bank records, employment records,
credit scores, etc.,” Mohamed said.
“Tenants really get little in return, in
terms of who the landlord is. Those
are conversations that typically that
can’t happen in the rental market.”
In addition to landlord responsiveness,
the free app allows for users to
rate their landlords and buildings on
a number of criteria, including its
cleanliness, noise level, pest control,
water pressure and heat. Openigloo
has space for users to share a short
review, pros and cons of the building
and any advice they may have for the
property owner.
Alongside user-generated content,
Openigloo gathers information on
buildings, presenting all public data
on a residence in one place.
Mohamed said the idea for the app
came after reflecting on her own
experience of renting apartments
for eight years in New York City.
“Like most New Yorkers, my first
apartment was less than perfect,”
she said.
Mohamed said that she began to
see a pattern where landlords “created
this environment where the
tenets were made to feel like inconveniences
and not customers.”
Mohamed went on to earn her
master’s degree in public policy at
Columbia University, where she
met Routhu. The pair then embarked
on solving for many of the problems
associated with renting in New York
City.
Openigloo launched in a rental
market upended by COVID-19. While
many landlords, real estate agents
and building management companies
have struggled throughout the
first half of 2020, their struggles
are a direct result of tenants inability
to make rent, as unemployment
reached record highs in the city over
the past several months.
The financial hardships experienced
by many everyday-renters
has sparked more conversation
about tenants rights, according to
Mohamed. Openigloo helps further
that conversation, she said.
Ridgewood Times Sales Guide
RIDGEWOOD GLENDALE MASPETH MIDDLE VILLAGE
Grandview Avenue
Listings selected at random. Courtesy MLS
Under $600,000
71-05 Fresh Pond Road A3D
$529,000
Condominium
1 bedroom, 1 bathroom
Kaszuba Jaroslaw, Exit All Seasons
Realty
$600,000-$1,000,000
17-20 George St.
$900,000
Townhouse
3 bedrooms, 1 full and 1 half
bathrooms
Jaime Zarama, Charles Rutenberg
Realty Inc
Over $1,000,000
584 Grandview Ave.
$1,175,000
Multi-family
8 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms
Michal Marek, Sold By Bart R E
Partners Inc
62nd Street 56th Avenue 66th Road
Under $600,000
90-60 Union Tpke., Unit 10A
$545,000
Co-op
3 bedrooms, 1 full and 1 half
bathrooms
Sold By Bart R E Partners Inc
$600,000-$1,000,000
71-37 Central Ave.
$858,000
Colonial
3 bedrooms, 1 full and 2 half
bathrooms
John Chetram, Monticello Real
Estate Group
Over $1,000,000
75-26 62nd St.
$1,075,000
Townhouse
6 bedrooms, 2 full and 1 half
bathrooms
NY Metro Realty Group Ltd
Under $600,000
6449 Perry Ave., Unit 6
$283,000
Condominium
1 bedroom, 1 bathroom
Maryanna Zero, Home Hunters
Real Estate
$600,000-$1,000,000
73-21 52 Ct.
$799,000
Colonial
4 bedrooms, 2 full and 1 half
bathrooms
Sandy Xue, Winzone Realty Inc
Over $1,000,000
61-27 56th Ave.
$1,459,000
Two-story
6 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms
Louis Campione, Campione
Realty
Under $600,000
66-59 71st St., Unit 2A
$570,000
Condominium
2 bedrooms, 1 full and 1 half
bathroom
Sylwia Anna Juras, Sold By Bart R
E Partners Inc
$600,000-$1,000,000
61-18 80th St.
$838,000
Two-story
3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom
Crifasi Real Estate Inc
Over $1,000,000
72-26 66th Road
$1,700,000
Colonial
4 bedrooms, 3 full and 1 half
bathroom
John Lombardi, Crifasi Real Estate
Inc
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