Whether you have a doorman or a live-in supper, consider yourself lucky. Even though it is more common than not to have one or the other, a lot of New York City apartments do not have either. But, the two are vastly different and if your apartment offers either a doorman or a live-in supper it is good to know how they compare as well as the pros and cons of both.
What Is A Doorman?
A doorman is a person hired to provide courtesy and security services in an apartment building. Your doorman will greet you at the front door whether they are sitting at a front desk or physically opening the door for you. As such, your doorman will likely be the first face you see when you come home. Some say that a doorman can give you a good feel for what the building will be like.
Benefits of Having a Doorman
There are many reasons why having a doorman is great. A doorman will receive your deliveries and keep them locked within a room until you retrieve them or request them to be brought up to your apartment. This is a serious luxury in New York City considering that the threat of package theft is constantly lurking. In addition, a doorman will also uptake the role of keeping your building safe. They make a serious effort in getting to know their residents and their guests to keep out any unwanted visitors. Not only that but are doormen constantly surveying the premises to keep a close watch of any feasible suspicious activity happening nearby. Last but not least, your doorman will not allow any illegal interactions to take place. This means that a random contractor cannot come in and start doing work without proper documentation. Window cleaners cannot just begin cleaning the windows and slip a bill under your door without your knowledge. Ultimately, a doorman is the eyes and ears of the building.
Cons of Having a Doorman
Even though that all sounds wonderful, a few cons come with having a doorman. Firstly, it does breach privacy in some sense of the word. A doorman will keep tabs on your routine and the people you invite inside the apartment. Even though this is ultimately to keep you and other residents safe if you are more of a private person you may not enjoy this. Serial dater? Your doorman will no doubt pick up on it. There is also a cost that comes with having a doorman. Living in New York City is expensive enough and people usually go out of their way to cut down on all unnecessary costs. A doorman may feel like a necessity to some, so this may not be a large issue. However, a doorman is factored into your rent or maintenance fees which can be a pesky fee to pay depending on how you look at it. When the holidays roll around it is also common courtesy to tip your doorman which is just another payment you need to make.
Elyse, a 22-year-old resident of Murray Hill, absolutely adores her doorman. “I have a very close relationship with my doorman,” she exclaims with confidence. “It is comforting to know that there is someone always protecting my building in this big city.” Not only this, but she also boasts about enjoying having a somewhat random face to make small talk with every day. “Sometimes we will gossip about the people within our building. No one else would be able to relate to that the way he is!” Elyse says, on a more serious note, that having a doorman “…is a great luxury. I am very grateful to have him standing guard at all times. I have been in a lot of random situations that you wouldn’t expect a doorman to be able to remedy, but to my surprise, he has been there to save the day on countless occasions!”
What Is A Live-In Super?
A live-in super is typically a person that occupies the ground floor or basement of an apartment building for a reduced fee or sometimes free in exchange for overseeing maintenance and repair duties. A live-in super is usually in charge of a residential building that houses 10 or more units. The live-in super will take care of minor maintenance requests to help out the landlord. The super is usually available 24/7 upon request and the good thing is that they are just downstairs, so you do not need to wait hours for a repair person to show up depending on what needs to be fixed. If the super does not live in the building, they will live very close by. They also handle garbage removal, cleaning common areas, maintaining the property in general, resolving any tenant issues, managing building turnover, and communicating virtually everything to the landlord.
A live-in super does not provide the same personal luxuries as a doorman, but will certainly be able to help out in a pinch. Luckily, a live-in super does not require any extra costs for renters. A simple thank you when they come to save the day will do in addition to a tip over the holiday season to show your appreciation for their work over the year. Whatever a super lacks in comparison to a doorman would be the only “con”. However, the pros of having them on-call and in proximity to help with minor maintenance needs are enough to outweigh the cons!
