516 East 13th Street, Manhattan, NY 10009

516 East 13th Street is a 5-story, 10-unit Old Law Tenement building located in the East Village, built in 1910 and currently owned by Dana Lowey. The building has experienced recurring heating and plumbing issues in recent years, with multiple Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) complaints about heat/hot water (both entire building and apartment-specific) and water supply problems occurring as recently as 2025. Notably, in 2024, Apartment 8 experienced significant maintenance issues leading to multiple violations, including problems with water leaks, broken window springs, defective plastered surfaces, and issues with the building's buzzer/intercom system. The building's heating systems have shown persistent reliability concerns, with multiple emergency complaints regarding heat and hot water systems throughout 2022-2025.

The property has a documented history of violations and complaints regarding its use and systems. Between 2019-2020, several complaints were filed regarding unauthorized transient use, illegal hotel rooms, and inadequate safety systems, resulting in penalties and the issuance of Oath Violations. These violations included failure to provide proper egress, lack of fire alarm systems, and failure to provide required sprinkler systems for transient use. The building underwent rodent inspections from 2020-2025, passing all but one in May 2023 where rat activity was noted.

More recently, the building has maintained a clean record for bedbug infestations, with no reported cases between 2021-2025. The most recent permit activity shows a plumbing permit issued in April 2025, suggesting ongoing maintenance and improvements to the building's infrastructure. The building's maintenance history shows a pattern of addressing violations through inspections and repairs, though some issues appear to recur frequently. For example, heating and water supply problems continue to emerge as significant resident concerns, while Apartment 8 exhibited multiple maintenance issues requiring attention between 2023-2024. The property has demonstrated an ability to resolve most violations through correction and inspection processes, though there have been instances of inspection access issues noted in the Department of Buildings complaints from 2020-2022.