252 West 21st Street, Manhattan, NY 10011

The 10-unit, 4-story residential building at 252 West 21st Street in Chelsea, owned by Harry Demott, has experienced several significant maintenance and safety issues since 2020. Most recently, in June 2025, the building was subject to a Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) investigation regarding an unpermitted food establishment, which remains in progress.

While the building has passed recent rodent inspections in 2023 and 2024, there was a notable pattern of rodent-related complaints in 2022, with three separate incidents reported between January and August 2022, though subsequent inspections were successful. The property faced serious fire safety concerns in 2024, with multiple violations recorded between March and July, including issues with self-closing doors and an unauthorized door hold-open device at the first story entrance. Notably, there are active violations related to the building's occupancy contrary to its Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) and illegal sleeping room usage in the basement (as of July 2024), along with fire safety violations regarding the sprinkler system.

Additional safety concerns were documented in 2024 regarding the building's egress system. The most recent Housing Maintenance Code violations from December 2024 involved heating and hot water issues affecting the entire building, though these were subsequently addressed and closed. Importantly, the property has consistently maintained a bedbug-free record since 2018, with no reported infestations in the past seven years.