421 East 81st Street, Manhattan, NY 10028

The 20-unit, 5-story building at 421 East 81st Street, owned by Kavi Sukhram, has experienced multiple ongoing maintenance and safety issues as of mid-2025. Most notably, there are active concerns about construction lead dust in common areas (opened June 2025), cooking gas issues, and problems with electric/gas ranges (both opened April 2025).

A fire escape safety complaint (opened March 2025) is particularly concerning from a resident safety perspective. The building has had recurring issues with electrical systems, including power outages in March 2025, and there are multiple open violations regarding garbage/recycling storage, missing signage, and electrical lighting as of June 2025. The property has a documented history of rodent activity, with inspections in 2025 (July and June) showing rat activity, and previous inspections from 2023-2022 also indicating similar findings.

While the building has maintained regular bedbug reporting, recent filings (2022-2024) show no current infestations. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) has conducted multiple inspections in response to various complaints, though access issues have sometimes prevented full inspections, such as in the case of a heat/hot water complaint from January 2024. The building's age (constructed in 1920) and "Old Law Tenement" classification may account for some of the persistent maintenance challenges, though the property has had at least three plumbing-related permits issued in 2018.