329 East 52nd Street, Manhattan, NY 10022

The five-story, nine-unit old law tenement building at 329 East 52nd Street, owned by Joel Lefkowitz, has experienced persistent issues throughout 2024-2025, with the most concerning being an active rodent infestation problem. The building has recorded multiple rodent-related complaints between March and June 2025, with inspections consistently showing rat activity, though some results were marked as "failed for other reasons." Recent health department investigations also documented pest violations in June 2025.

Water-related issues have been significant, with multiple emergency complaints about heavy flow leaks documented from late 2024 through early 2025, including violations recorded in December 2024 related to heavy flow water leaks and ceiling conditions in apartment 1B. The property has undergone significant construction activity in 2024, including unauthorized work that triggered multiple violations. Notably, there are eight active Environmental Control Board violations from October 2024 related to unpermitted construction of vertical additions, new roof levels, and interior modifications in apartments 5A and 5B, with associated penalties totaling $33,250.

These violations include safety concerns such as missing guard rails on the newly constructed roof level and construction of new bathrooms without proper permits. The building has also been subject to several compliance issues, including three active DOB violations regarding failure to certify corrections on immediately hazardous violations, and multiple complaints about construction work done without proper permits. While the building's bedbug reports from 2019-2025 consistently show zero instances of infestation, the current focus appears primarily on rodent and water-related challenges, along with ongoing permit and construction compliance issues.