5 East 115th Street, Manhattan, NY 10029

The 5 East 115th Street building in East Harlem, a 5-story, 13-unit Old Law Tenement constructed in 1920, has experienced recurring issues with heat and hot water service, with multiple complaints recorded between 2019 and 2025. Most recently, in January 2025, a heat/hot water complaint was filed for the entire building, though inspectors were unable to gain access for verification.

The building has also faced safety concerns, including broken or missing window guards (most recently in September 2024) and an incident in July 2023 involving a locked fire egress door from apartment 3W. Between 2018 and 2025, there were notably high levels of rodent activity, with multiple inspections showing rat activity and the need for bait application, particularly in 2024 and into 2025. Significant maintenance issues were documented in July 2023, including an infestation of roaches and mice in apartment 4E, along with various repairs needed in that unit's kitchen and foyer areas.

The building has had consistent problems with access for inspections, particularly regarding heat and hot water complaints, with multiple instances in 2019 and 2020 where inspectors could not gain access to verify conditions. While the building has maintained its regulatory requirements regarding bedbug reporting, showing zero infested units in recent submissions from 2022 through 2024, the ongoing pest control efforts and repeated heat/hot water complaints suggest persistent maintenance challenges. Two violations were issued in 2019 regarding window guards, though these were ultimately resolved, and there have been recent concerns about encroachments in public areas on the 3rd and 5th floors as of July 2023.