221 West 16th Street, Manhattan, NY 10011

The five-story, 13-unit Old Law Tenement building at 221 West 16th Street in Chelsea, owned by Jesus Perez, has experienced significant maintenance and safety issues in recent years. Most notably, in June 2025, there were multiple concerning complaints regarding unsanitary conditions, including pests and mold, as well as plumbing problems with bathtubs/showers. The building has persistent issues with pest infestations, as evidenced by repeated complaints and a pattern of rodent activity across multiple inspections from 2023 to 2025, with bait applied consistently.

Violation notices indicate ongoing maintenance challenges, including problems with flooring/stairs and walls, for which violations were issued in 2025. Infrastructure concerns are documented through failure to maintain proper records, with active ECB violations from 2018 regarding inspection compliance and multiple open DOB violations from 2023 related to external low-pressure inspection filings. The building's maintenance history reveals a pattern of plumbing and structural issues, with multiple complaints about sinks, bathtubs, and flooring conditions.

Though the building's bedbug reporting for 2025 shows no infested units, previous violations regarding bedbug report filings appear in the records. Recent inspections have shown mixed results, with some compliance passes but also regarding rat activity in 2024. The property has documented attempts to address various maintenance issues, as seen in permit issuances for work performed in 2018-2019 and 2023, though the consistent emergence of similar problems suggests ongoing challenges with building upkeep and compliance with housing regulations.