122 Hester Street, Manhattan, NY 10002

The 6-story, 20-unit building at 122 Hester Street in Chinatown, owned by David Tom and constructed in 1910, has experienced several significant maintenance issues in recent years, with particular attention needed on multiple safety and habitability concerns. Most notably, there were two fire incidents in 2024 affecting apartments 6A and 6B, with associated violations for fire damage in July 2024. The building has a documented history of heating/hot water problems, with multiple emergency complaints in 2018-2021, though the most recent heating system status is not specified.

The property also has unresolved violations from July 2024 pertaining to safety issues in the 6th-story bulkhead area, including concerns about self-closing doors, missing wire mesh under skylights, and improper handles at the roof access door. Recent inspections have shown relatively good pest control results, with all rodent inspections from 2022-2025 passing, though there was one instance of rat activity noted in September 2020. The building had some electrical work completed in 2024 (as indicated by a July 30, 2024 violation and an associated Environmental Control Board penalty of $830), and there are three open Bed Bug Reporting violations from 2022-2024.

Heating and hot water system issues have been recurring, with multiple violations over the years. The property has undergone some improvements, as evidenced by several permits issued between 2018-2019 for electrical and plumbing work, though these do not appear to fully address the building's ongoing maintenance challenges. The building has consistently passed rodent inspections since 2020, though there was one citation for rat activity in 2020.