144 West 70th Street, Manhattan, NY 10023

144 West 70th Street is a 4-story, 10-unit residential building located in Manhattan's Upper West Side, constructed in 1889 and currently owned by Alan Garfield. The property has experienced recurring heat and hot water issues over the past two years, with three documented complaints in 2023-2024, including two cases involving the entire building (October 2023 and May 2024) where HPD was unable to gain access for inspection, though violations were issued for inadequate service.

Other significant building issues include multiple violations identified in 2023-2024 related to door maintenance, including problems with a locked boiler room access door and defective self-closing doors at the vestibule. The building has generally maintained good pest control, with no bedbug infestations reported in the past five years, as confirmed in the most recent bedbug reports for 2023-2024, and passed rodent inspections in 2023, 2024, and 2025. The property's maintenance history shows various appliance and maintenance issues, including refrigerator problems in late 2021 and general plumbing concerns in September 2021, though these were resolved relatively quickly.

Additionally, there were two indoor air quality complaints in July 2023 that were addressed by DOHMH. The building has demonstrated better overall condition in recent years, with all bedbug and rodent reports showing no infestations or activity since 2019-2020, and the most recent rodent inspection in July 2025 resulted in a passing grade. However, the recurring heat and hot water issues, particularly the inability of inspectors to gain access to units for verification, represents the most significant ongoing maintenance concern at the property.