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Building exterior 2 photos

The Opal

75-25 153rd Street, NY 113673.1 ★ (70 reviews)
Rental building

Summary

The Opal is a 387-apartment Kew Gardens Hills rental with studios through three-bedrooms and relatively uncommon active inventory for this part of Queens. Recent residents describe improvements after prolonged elevator problems, while elevator reliability, water damage, pests and management follow-through remain the main concerns.

387 unitsOpened 2004Managed by A&E Real Estate

Reviews

Residents describe a building in transition: several say management and elevator service improved recently, while others describe serious unresolved apartment and pest problems. Elevator and maintenance history remain especially important for the exact apartment.

Google
3.1
70 reviews
Openigloo
4.0
1 review
ApartmentRatings
2.5
33 reviews
Yelp
1.7
29 reviews

What residents praise

Recent changes have improved daily life

Several residents say the elevator was repaired and the building began running more smoothly, with management receiving better marks than before.

Some residents are happy with their apartments

Positive accounts describe enjoying their homes and appreciating the building's recent operational improvement.

What residents complain about

Elevator reliability has been a major issue

Residents describe extended elevator outages even after reports of recent repairs.

Leaks and repair follow-through deserve scrutiny

Residents describe unresolved water damage alongside leaks, plumbing and heat problems.

Pest control can require persistence

A recent resident describes repeated roach problems and missed pest-control access despite notifying the front desk.

Amenities

Gated 5.5-acre Queens complex with a 24-hour doorman, on-site gym, two roof decks, a landscaped courtyard with grills, playgrounds and dog runs, plus an underground reserved garage. In-unit Miele washer/dryers are in renovated apartments only; other residents use the two central laundry rooms.

In the apartment
In-unit laundry
Some apartments
Built-in air conditioning
Dishwasher
In the building
24-hour doorman
Elevator
Fitness center
Pool
Not available
Shared outdoor space
On-site parking*
Package service
Resident storage*
Shared laundry

* Fees apply to marked amenities. See Costs in the Availability tab.

Also here: Bike storage · Library/study lounge with Wi-Fi · Community room with billiards · Multi-use recreation room · Children's playroom · Guest suites

Location

The Opal is located at 75-25 153rd Street, New York, NY 11367. The Opal is in Kew Gardens Hills near several grocery stores and neighborhood parks. There is no subway within the immediate area, so bus routes and the connection to Flushing or Forest Hills are central to the daily commute.

SupermarketsParks
  • 6 min
    Kouche Market
  • 7 min
    Aron's Kissena Farms
  • 8 min
    Associated Supermarket
  • 10 min
    Wasserman's Supermarket
  • 11 min
    Haim's International

Building records

Housing complaints are much more common than at comparable buildings, with elevators, leaks and mold the largest categories. Numerous open leak, mold and floor violations make lift reliability, dampness and repair quality important to check.

Reported housing complaintsPast 3 years

Reported housing complaints
Housing-related reports submitted to NYC 311 by residents or the public. A report describes a reported issue, not a confirmed violation.

102.1 reports per 100 apartments, versus 28.5 for other comparable apartment buildings in New York.

CategoryReportsLatest
97
Aug 2026
42
Aug 2026
41
Aug 2026

HPD housing-code violationsPast 3 years

HPD housing-code violations
Housing-code violations issued by NYC’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development after an inspection. Routine administrative filings and notices are excluded.
ConditionCitationsStatus
27
24 open
25
23 open
20
11 open

6 additional older citations remain open.

Rent history

Typical rents

Typical rents
Final asking rents from listings that ended in the past year.
Studio
$2,200median / mo
$2,000–$2,300
1 bed
$2,500median / mo
$2,400–$2,750691 sq ft median
2 beds
$3,250median / mo
$2,900–$3,895920 sq ft median
3 beds
$4,250median / mo
$3,995–$4,3501,369 sq ft median

Concessions

Historical concessions
Free-rent offers on listings that ended in the past year, including listings with no offer.
AllStudio1 bed2 beds3 beds

85% of listings offered free rent, most commonly one month. If the apartment you like doesn’t include an offer, it’s worth asking whether leasing can extend one.

No free rent recorded: 15%0.5 months: 8%1 month: 34%1.5 months: 24%2 months: 19%
85%of listings offered free rent
No free rent recorded
15%(11 of 74)
0.5 months
8%(6 of 74)
1 month
34%(25 of 74)
1.5 months
24%(18 of 74)
2 months
19%(14 of 74)

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