149 West 88th Street, Manhattan, NY 10024

149 West 88th Street is a three-story, two-unit residential building located in Manhattan's Upper West Side, constructed in 1890 and currently owned by Robert Schiffmann. The property has recently encountered several significant issues, most notably an ongoing violation from July 2023 regarding an unauthorized conversion of the premises from its documented configuration, which included 2 A units and 8 SRO B units, to a two-family house without the necessary permits.

This violation, which carries an imposed penalty of $6,250, remains active as of the current date. The building has shown consistent compliance with rodent inspections, passing nine consecutive inspections between 2016 and 2025, though a rat sighting was reported and verified by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in May 2025, for which no violations were found. The property has maintained a regular schedule of bedbug reporting requirements, with reports filed in 2019, 2021, and 2023, all indicating zero infested units, zero eradicated units, and zero re-infested units during the respective reporting periods.

While the building has passed multiple rodent inspections over the years, the recent rat sighting in May 2025 represents a new concern, though it was investigated and found not to violate health codes. The property has a documented pattern of bedbug reporting compliance, with sufficient records showing no infestations during the reporting periods. Despite these positive records, the most pressing current issue remains the building's unauthorized conversion status, which represents a significant regulatory compliance matter for the property.