105 East 97th Street, Manhattan, NY 10029

The five-story, 15-unit Old Law Tenement building at 105 East 97th Street in East Harlem, owned by Arnold Barrios, has experienced several significant maintenance issues over the past few years. Most notably, there have been recurring heat and hot water system failures affecting the entire building, with documented problems occurring in 2021 (four instances), 2020, and most recently in January 2022.

Other maintenance concerns included plumbing issues with water supply (July 2021), door problems (July 2021), and various complaints about walls needing paint/plaster work in 2020, though most of these non-emergency complaints resulted in no violations being issued. In July 2020, the building experienced structural concerns when there were reports of vibration causing exterior wall cracks due to nearby construction, resulting in an active violation from the Department of Buildings. The building's recent history shows consistent compliance in rodent control, with all inspections from 2017 through 2025 passing without issues.

The property has maintained a clean record regarding bedbug infestations, with no reported cases in the past five reporting periods from 2020 through 2025. As of the latest inspections in 2025, including rodent inspections and the most recent bedbug report filed in February 2025, the building appears to have addressed its major pest control and infestation concerns. While the heat and hot water system failures represent the most significant recurring issue in recent years, the building has shown improvement in maintaining basic housing standards, as evidenced by the most recent successful rodent inspections and lack of new bedbug reports.