405 East 78th Street, Manhattan, NY 10075

405 East 78th Street is a 4-story, 16-unit Old Law Tenement building located in Manhattan's Upper East Side, owned by Wally Acevedo and built in 1910. The building has experienced several recurring maintenance issues over recent years, most notably a heat and hot water system failure in late 2022, which prompted multiple emergency complaints from September to November 2022. More recently, in 2024, there were issues with building entrance doors that required inspection by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, though no violations were ultimately issued.

The building underwent significant work in 2018-2019, during which time multiple violations were recorded, including failure to maintain building walls, inadequate overhead protection during construction, and unauthorized work while under a stop work order. These violations resulted in various penalties, though most were subsequently dismissed or resolved. The property has maintained a relatively clean record for pest control, with no reported bedbug infestations in the past three years (2021-2024) according to the mandatory Bed Bug Reporting system.

While there have been some rodent-related inspections, the most recent compliance inspection in 2020 resulted in a "Passed" rating, following an initial inspection in 2019 that noted "Rat Activity." The building's recent maintenance history shows improved compliance with bedbug reporting requirements, as evidenced by consistent zero infestation reports from 2021 to present. Several violations related to pressure and boiler inspections from 2018-2022 were documented, but these were later dismissed, suggesting procedural compliance or administrative errors rather than ongoing safety concerns. The property has generally responded to HPD complaints and resolved issues, though there have been instances of inspectors being unable to gain access to units for verification purposes.