224 East 116th Street, Manhattan, NY 10029

The four-story, seven-unit residential building at 224 East 116th Street in East Harlem, owned by Rafael Baez, has experienced several notable maintenance issues since 2019. Most concerning are the recurring heat and hot water problems in 2021, with three separate complaints about lack of service affecting both individual apartments and the entire building, though some were resolved quickly or showed no violations upon inspection. The building has also had issues with water leakage (2022) and multiple appliance problems, including a refrigerator issue (2019) and gas range problems in Apartment 2B (2021), though inspections were unable to gain access to verify these conditions in some instances.

More recently, there have been ongoing concerns about compliance with bedbug reporting requirements, with open violations noted in 2022, 2023, and 2024 showing failure to file annual reports as required. The building's maintenance history includes some significant boiler and plumbing issues, with complaints about defective equipment in 2021 and 2022, though some inspections found no violations. In 2021, there were documented issues with mice infestation in Apartment 2B, which were addressed and closed.

The property has maintained regular rodent inspections between 2023-2025, with most passing and only occasional bait applications needed in early 2023. There are currently three open violations from 2023 relating to failure to file external low-pressure inspection reports for 2020 and 2021, which remain unresolved as of July 2025. The building has also had issues with the combustion air intake fire damper system in 2021, though this violation was resolved. While the property has experienced various maintenance issues over the years, the most recent records show improved compliance with rodent control measures and more recent inspections typically passing various requirements, though the open violations regarding bedbug reports and low-pressure inspections warrant attention.