276 East 7th Street, Manhattan, NY 10009

The six-story, 19-unit Old Law Tenement at 276 East 7th Street in the East Village, owned by Les 278 HDFC, has experienced several significant maintenance and health-related issues over the past few years. Most notably, there is an active Environmental Control Board violation from October 2021 regarding unauthorized occupancy and illegally created rooms that removed access to an egress window, with a penalty of $12,500 currently due.

The building has also accrued multiple open violations related to door closures, including issues with self-closing doors atApartment 1A and various public hall doors, as well as failures to file required external low-pressure inspections in 2022-2023. Between late 2021 and early 2022, the building faced multiple emergency housing maintenance code complaints, including mold, safety concerns about fire escapes, and various maintenance issues such as problems with lighting, ventilation systems, paint/plaster, and plumbing. A concerning pattern of pest management emerged, with bedbug infestations reported in 2024 affecting four units, though these were subsequently eradicated.

Recent inspections have shown fluctuating rodent activity, with the most recent February 2025 inspection passing, while previous inspections in 2024 and 2023 indicated rat activity. The building's heating and hot water systems also experienced problems in October 2021, resulting in violations. Despite these various issues, there have been multiple cases where complaints were either closed without violations or inspectors were unable to gain access during investigations.