12 East 116th Street, Manhattan, NY 10029

The 5-story, 10-unit residential building at 12 East 116th Street in East Harlem, owned by Luis Vargas, has experienced recurring maintenance issues in recent years, particularly in 2025. Most notably, there has been an ongoing pattern of water leak complaints, with three separate incidents reported between March and June 2025, including two instances of "heavy flow" leaks (in May and June) and one "slow leak" (in April). The building has also faced significant heating and hot water system challenges, with multiple complaints in January 2025, affecting both individual apartments and common areas.

These heating issues prompted emergency responses from the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), though some inspections were unsuccessful in gaining access to units. Additional maintenance concerns have emerged, particularly within Apartment 2A, which has been the subject of multiple Housing Maintenance Code violations. These include ongoing pest control requirements to address both roach and mice infestations (with open violations as of September 2024), bathroom maintenance issues such as broken tiles and plaster problems, and water-related concerns including leaks and excessive hot water temperatures. The building's management has faced challenges in consistently addressing these violations, as evidenced by the issuance of both Class B and Class C violations.

Recent inspections in 2025 showed mixed results for rodent control, with one failed inspection in September 2024, though subsequent inspections passed. Of particular note, there is an active Department of Buildings violation as of September 2024 related to the failure to file the 2023 External Low Pressure Inspection. While the building has maintained a relatively clean record regarding bedbug infestations, with all recent filings showing zero affected units from 2020 through 2025, the persistent nature of the water and heating system issues in 2025, along with the open violations related to pest control and plumbing concerns in Apartment 2A, suggest ongoing maintenance challenges. Multiple service requests and violations from January to June 2025 indicate these problems are not isolated incidents but rather part of a pattern of building maintenance issues that require attention.