17 East 96th Street, Manhattan, NY 10128

17 East 96th Street is a 16-story, 61-unit residential building constructed in 1924 in East Harlem, currently owned by Neil Davidowitz. The building has experienced several maintenance and compliance issues over the past few years, with the most recent concerning unsanitary conditions and pests reported in late 2024, for which an HPD inspection could not be completed.

The property has maintained regular bedbug-free status in its annual reporting from 2021 to 2024, though there was one reported infestation in 2020 that was successfully eradicated. Rodent inspections show a generally improving trend, with the most recent inspections in 2025, 2024, and 2023 passing, though there were periods of rodent activity documented in 2022. The building has had multiple Department of Buildings violations and compliance requirements, including an active Local Law 188/17 Compliance Inspections notice from December 2024, and previous failures to file required benchmarking reports in 2022 and complete Category 5 inspections in 2019, though these violations were ultimately dismissed.

Between 2019-2020, several permits were issued for various work types, including elevator-related and plumbing work. While there have been periods of non-compliance with housing maintenance codes, particularly regarding inspections and reporting requirements, the building has generally maintained its basic infrastructure systems through regular permit filings and work notifications. Recent rodent inspection results show improvement, with all inspections since mid-2022 passing, suggesting some progress in building maintenance and pest control efforts.