696 3rd Avenue, Manhattan, NY 10017

The 5-story building at 696 Third Avenue, owned by David Malanga and built in 1926 as an Old Law Tenement, has experienced several significant maintenance and safety issues over recent years. Notably, between 2020-2024, there were multiple violations related to building safety and maintenance, particularly concerning a sidewalk shed that failed to provide adequate overhead protection for the public. The building faced multiple Environmental Control Board violations with associated penalties, particularly in 2022 and 2024, totaling over $10,000 in fines, though records indicate these were eventually resolved.

Of particular concern was a November 2020 emergency violation regarding the structural condition of Exposure 3's brick wall, which showed extensive deterioration and was described as potentially at risk of collapse. This incident led to ongoing compliance issues throughout 2021 and 2022, including multiple failures to certify corrections on immediately hazardous violations. More recent records show improvements in certain areas, with the building successfully passing rodent inspections in 2025, 2020, and consistently from 2010-2018.

Bedbug reporting requirements are now being met, with the most recent report (July 2025) showing zero infested units for the 2023-2024 period, and previous reports from 2022-2023 showing no infestations. The building has undergone regular inspections, with bedbug compliance violations recorded in 2021-2024, though these appear to have been resolved based on the most recent filings. While there have been some complaints and violations in recent years, particularly regarding construction and maintenance issues, the frequency and severity of violations appear to have decreased somewhat in the most recent reporting periods, though outstanding structural issues from 2020 remain noteworthy.