434 West 38th Street, Manhattan, NY 10018

The 12-unit, 5-story Old Law Tenement building at 434 West 38th Street in Hell's Kitchen, owned by Sofia Janvier and constructed in 1910, has experienced recurring issues with heat and hot water service between late 2024 and early 2025, with multiple complaints filed through the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) for both building-wide and individual apartment problems. The building has also faced ventilation system challenges, door/window maintenance issues, and various plumbing concerns during this period. More recently, in March 2025, a sewage odor complaint was reported through the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

The building's maintenance history shows several significant concerns, including an open violation from December 2024 regarding defective self-closing doors at the building entrance, though some prior violations related to heat and hot water have been closed successfully. The property has undergone multiple regulatory inspections, with problems identified in late 2024 and early 2025 regarding the building's structural integrity, particularly concerning the facade. These issues were serious enough to prompt the Department of Buildings to issue violations related to fire stoppage and wall maintenance in October 2024, though some of these violations were later resolved. The building's systems and safety features, including fire escape functionality and electrical systems, have been the subject of multiple complaints over recent years, with access issues sometimes preventing inspections.

A review of pest control records indicates that while there has been regular monitoring for bedbugs and rodents, with all recent inspections passing, a bedbug infestation was noted in apartment 5B in November 2024. The building's management has maintained compliance with NYC's rodent control requirements in recent inspections, though there was one instance of rat activity noted in 2011. The property has a documented history of both illegal hotel room operations and structural concerns, with multiple complaints regarding unauthorized rentals and building stability issues over the years, including a 2024 complaint about building shaking that resulted in a violation being served. The building's permit history shows regular maintenance and upgrade work, with several permits issued between 2018 and 2019 for various repairs and improvements.