159 West 75th Street, Manhattan, NY 10023

159 West 75th Street, a 4-story, 10-unit residential building built in 1894 in the Upper West Side neighborhood and currently owned by Zacarias Vazquez, has experienced several significant maintenance and safety issues since 2018. Most notably, there has been a recurring rodent problem, with documented rat activity from 2020 through 2025, including multiple inspections showing rat activity and the need for bait application.

In 2020, the building faced multiple serious maintenance issues, including problems with mold, sewage, and indoor air quality, though inspections generally resulted in no violations being issued. Safety concerns were particularly notable, with violations regarding the fire escape, sprinkler system, and missing carbon monoxide/smoke detectors in Apartment F, as well as issues with an improperly supported air conditioning unit and a defective emergency ladder. The building's management has also struggled with maintaining adequate heating systems, as evidenced by multiple violations in early 2020.

Recent activity suggests ongoing building management challenges, with the most recent complaints from 2024 regarding potential illegal conversion and work without permits, though inspectors were unable to gain access to verify these claims. Despite these issues, the building has maintained a clean record regarding bedbug infestations, with all annual reports showing zero infested units since 2018. The Department of Buildings records indicate several permits were issued between 2018-2019 for unspecified work, though the precise nature of these improvements is not detailed in the available data.