38 Eldridge Street, Manhattan, NY 10002

The five-story, 16-unit tenement building at 38 Eldridge Street in Chinatown, owned by Connie Lam, has experienced recurring maintenance issues since its 1930 construction. Most notably, in late 2022, the building faced multiple heat and hot water issues affecting the entire building, with at least six complaints filed between November and December 2022. The building has also had some challenges with pest control, as evidenced by a July 2023 complaint about unsanitary conditions and pests that HPD could not inspect.

While the building has maintained compliance with bedbug reporting requirements from 2020 to 2024, with no reported infestations, there had been concerns about rodents, with a "Rat Activity" finding in January 2022 being the only non-passing inspection, though subsequent inspections in 2022-2025 have all passed. The property has a history of structural and maintenance violations, including two significant ECB violations from 2020 related to building maintenance issues, with fines totaling $3,750 for problems with window sills, cornices, and mortar joints. The building underwent three failed attempts to inspect units in February 2022 regarding heat issues, which were later closed.

Between 2018 and 2020, there were also multiple violations regarding unauthorized construction of wooden structures at the rear of the building, including an "L" shaped wooden shed and canopy. More recently, the building has demonstrated better compliance with health and safety regulations, with rodent inspections consistently passing from 2023 to 2025, and bedbug reporting indicating no infestations since 2020. The most recent complaints suggest ongoing issues with smoking violations, as evidenced by three DOHMH complaints in 2023, though these were administratively closed indicating some level of resolution.