638 East 14th Street, Manhattan, NY 10009

This five-story, 20-unit Old Law Tenement building located at 638 East 14th Street in the East Village, built in 1920 and currently owned by Justin Hollander, has experienced recurring issues with heating systems and infrastructure maintenance over recent years. Most notably, there have been three heat/hot water complaints in the past two years (January 2023, January 2024, and one in May 2023), with the most recent complaint in January 2024 being particularly concerning as HPD was unable to gain access to perform inspections. The building has also faced plumbing issues, specifically with water supply problems in May 2023 that warranted emergency attention.

An April 2023 inspection revealed multiple Class B and C violations that remain open, including concerns about a leaking roof affecting the fifth-story public hall, broken fire retardant materials, and a defective window spring balance at a fire escape in Apartment 17. The building has faced several significant infrastructure challenges, including multiple Environmental Control Board violations in 2023-2024 related to fire safety, building maintenance, and unauthorized construction work. Between 2023-2024, several tenant safety inspections resulted in Oath Violations being served, and there was a documented complaint about building shaking/vibrating in December 2023, though this did not result in any violations being found at the time of inspection.

The property maintains a consistent record of passing rodent inspections between 2019 and 2025, suggesting effective pest management, and there have been no reported bedbug infestations in the past seven years. While the building has had its share of maintenance issues, many violations have been addressed, such as the successful correction of various Hallway painting and maintenance requirements earlier in 2023. The most recent documented violation was resolved in May 2024 regarding failure to certify correction on an immediately hazardous ECB violation, which was dismissed. The building's heating system and overall infrastructure maintenance continue to require attention, as evidenced by the recurring heat/hot water complaints and multiple open violations from the April 2023 inspection.