209 East 81st Street, Manhattan, NY 10028

The six-story, 20-unit old law tenement building at 209 East 81st Street, owned by Ken Darian C/o Barber Shop, has a notable history of maintenance and safety issues since its construction in 1920. Most concerning are the persistent elevator problems documented between 2018-2019, culminating in OATH violations in November 2018 for multiple elevator-related failures, including an improper fuse on the controller and inadequate motor room lighting.

The building experienced heating system issues in January 2019 that warranted HPD emergency responses, though these were resolved promptly. A significant inspection in September 2018 revealed multiple open violations, including safety concerns such as defective fire retardant materials, broken light fixtures, and issues with concrete stairs in the first story public areas. More recently, in 2022, an inspection identified parapet brick issues on the rear side of the building, though this violation was resolved with a $500 penalty.

The building has maintained a consistent record of submitting bedbug reports with zero infestations reported since 2019, and rodent inspections show passing results in 2023-2025, though occasional rat activity was noted in 2022 and 2019. The most recent complaints regarding building conditions were all resolved without any violations being warranted during inspections, including a work without a permit complaint in 2025 and a building shaking complaint in 2022 that resulted in a vacate order being fully rescinded. The building's maintenance history shows an overall pattern of timely resolution of complaints, but also highlights recurring issues with the elevator system and periodic infrastructure maintenance needs, particularly during 2018-2019 when multiple violations were documented.