Jacek Purat

Having this man as a landlord was one of the worst rental experiences I've ever had. Don't be fooled by his kind and jolly demeanor, or even the low cost in rent, as a landlord he is quite possibly the most cheap and negligent landlord you can encounter. It also doesn't help that he places all responsibility on his son, who refuses to make a move without his his presence or approval, all while constantly being out of the country and being unreachable. During my time there, I was initially really happy with my apartment--it was a spacious studio with a lot of charm, low rent and no utility fees--but once I ran into issues with the electricity, the appeal quickly began to diminish. He blamed electricity issues on the tenants' irresponsibility and on the building being old. While we all understood that the building was old, he would not only delay fixing these issues, but do half-ass jobs and would rely on a maintenance man who didn't even live in Oakland (he lived in LA). So trying to get anything fixed would come with resistance and delay. Most of the time he wouldn't even do anything about it and would try to gaslight us into thinking we were the root of the issue, when in reality his poor job at maintaining his building was at fault. At one point I also had issues with my gas stove, which he blamed on me and took his sweet time to tend to my concerns. Once he finally tended to the issue, he did a sketchy job of investigating the gas leak and ultimately concluded that the stove was not at fault, and that I had messed with it and caused the issues. When I finally decided to move out, I never received any acknowledgment from him until I approached him in person to confirm that he was aware that I was moving out. He let me know that he would be mailing my deposit to me and that I would receive it once I sent him my new address. Cut to nearly a month later, this man avoided all communication when I reached out to confirm the status of my deposit. It wasn't until I threatened legal action that I finally received a response and was mailed my deposit a week later. All in all, I really do not recommend renting from this man. I know that the rent price, location, and charm may be appealing, but it's really not worth it. Some things to consider: 1.) The building is poorly maintained 2.) He's never around to fix things 3.) His son doesn't live onsite, so you will be waiting around if something breaks or you get locked out 4.) No onsite maintenance person 5.) Building has electrical issues 6.) Packages get stolen 7.) Bad communication 8.) He's always out of the country and will avoid communication 9.) Building roof leaks 10.) Major delays getting deposit back 11.) Terrible laundry dryers (also quite expensive for how bad they are) 12.) Building has plumbing issues 13.) Old windows that cause water leaks