21 Allen Street, Manhattan, NY 10002

21 Allen Street is a 5-story, 14-unit residential building located in Chinatown and owned by Fred Tang. Built in 1920 and classified as an Old Law Tenement, this building has experienced several significant maintenance issues over recent years.

Most notably, there have been two documented heating and hot water system failures – one in December 2021 that affected the entire building, requiring HPD intervention, and another plumbing-related water supply issue in September 2019 that HPD was unable to inspect due to access issues. The building currently shows active Department of Buildings violations for failure to file the 2018 external low-pressure inspection, issued in June 2023. The property has been subject to recurring Housing Maintenance Code violations concerning annual bedbug reporting requirements, with open violations recorded in 2021, 2022, and 2023 that remain unresolved as of 2024.

There was also one instance of rat activity in January 2022, but that appears to have been an isolated incident as subsequent inspections showed "Passed" results throughout 2022, 2023, and 2025. The building's most recent rodent inspection in June 2025 passed successfully, continuing a pattern of compliance since the initial rat activity discovery, suggesting improved maintenance in this area. The property's historical issues with heat and water systems, combined with the outstanding violations regarding bedbug reporting and the recent DOB violation, indicate ongoing challenges with building maintenance and compliance despite recent improvements in rodent control.