312 East 104th Street, Manhattan, NY 10029

The 4-story, 8-unit Old Law Tenement building at 312 East 104th Street in East Harlem, owned by Jose Coutinho, has experienced several recurring maintenance issues over recent years. The most recent significant concerns center around pest control, with three consecutive unsanitary condition complaints regarding pests filed in March-April 2023, though no violations were found upon inspection. There was also a pattern of heat and hot water issues in March 2022, with multiple complaints regarding entire building and apartment-specific problems, some marked as emergencies, though investigations typically indicated that heat and hot water had been restored by the time of inspection.

The building's history shows persistent compliance challenges, particularly concerning unauthorized hotel activity and renovation work. Between 2021-2023, there were several complaints about illegal hotel rooms in residential buildings, though inspections often resulted in no violations or access denial. Multiple complaints regarding work without permits were filed in early 2022, with inspectors typically unable to gain access to investigate.

While the building had documented pest issues in 2022 in apartment 4E (including roaches, missing smoke detector, and hot water problems), more recent records show consistent rodent inspection passes from 2018 to 2025, suggesting improvements in some maintenance areas. Notably, the building has maintained a clean record regarding bedbug infestations since 2019, with all annual reports showing zero infested or re-infested units. The most recent rodent inspection in February 2025 also passed, indicating current compliance with health and safety standards, though the building has experienced periodic maintenance challenges as evidenced by the documented service requests and complaints.