Problems continue for tenants at troubled Kew Gardens hotel shut down by NYC

The management at the Umbrella Hotel cut and ran last month after the city shut down the problem-plagued lodgings. The lobby is vacant and a handful of tenants say they are missing heat, hot water and consistent elevator service. Photo courtesy of Jonathan Kastin

By Rachel Vick

Tenants who live above the troubled Umbrella Hotel don’t even know where to send their rent checks after a property manager cut and run, leaving only a misspelled notice letter behind.

The management company, Good Karma, fled after the city shut down the lodgings following a series of violent crimes, including a New Year’s Day murder, and reports of drug sales and illicit partying in violation of COVID guidelines.

Jonathan Kastin, a tenant since 2017, said the company cashed his January rent but has not communicated with him since then. He said he worries the lights, like the heat, will be cut because the utilities are included in his lease agreement. Kastin said he has not received his mail for the past two weeks. 

“What happens if something makes it unlivable?” Kastin said.  “Makes us feel like we could never trust anything they tell us. We can't count on anything from them.”

Good Karma has not responded to repeated inquiries from the Eagle. The head of the company, Manny Kumar, told Queens Ledger that he has nothing to do with the building anymore. 

“I have no clue who is responsible now, it’s not my problem,” he told the paper.

A notice left for tenants in the seven top floor apartments makes that clear.

“Good Karma is no longer apart (sic) of this building,” the notice reads. “We would like to advise everyon (sic) to start looking for another apartment or house, there is no managament or owner avalible (sic) until furture (sic) notice.” 

The situation is just the latest problem to beset the tenants, who were promised luxury accommodations when they agreed to move in four years ago, Kastin said.

Within six months, the roof began leaking and broken elevators went unfixed, Kastin said. Today, the tenants, all of whom live on the 19th and 20th floors, are frequently forced to take the stairs. The heat and hot water go out regularly, Kastin said. 

Between July and Jan. 1, the hotel was the scene of at least three shootings, including the city’s first murder of 2021. The lodgings, located across from Queens Borough Hall, lowered rates to attract visitors during the COVID pandemic, leading locals to rent out blocks of rooms for parties, angry elected officials say. The spike in crime spurred the city to shut down the hotel last month.

Residents have continued to file complaints with 311 and on Feb. 9 the building received a heat violation from the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. A spokesperson for HPD said he was looking into the problems at the building, but he did not provide a response for this story.

Kastin said he has had no interaction with Kumar, who leased the property from the owner, a secretive LLC with a Manhattan address. 

“I don’t know what kind of weird deal is going on where everyone is trying to hide everyone else, but it's been that way from the beginning —  just completely secret,” he added.