16 West 125th Street, Manhattan, NY 10027

The 5-story, 8-unit building at 16 West 125th Street in Harlem, owned by Phyllis Locus, has significant ongoing maintenance challenges, particularly regarding heating systems. Throughout 2024, there have been numerous emergency heat and hot water complaints, with at least ten incidents recorded between March and December, affecting both individual apartments and the entire building.

These complaints highlight persistent issues with the building's heating system, though many were temporarily resolved before HPD inspections could be completed. The building also has active violations regarding the failure to file external low pressure inspections for multiple years (2018-2023), and two open Class A violations related to not submitting annual bedbug reports. Additional concerns include documented rat activity, as evidenced by multiple rodent inspections in 2024-2025, showing ongoing pest control needs.

The building has experienced recurring hot water issues affecting different apartments, with some inspections revealing locked access issues to the heating system, and violations related to inadequate hot water supply in specific apartments (notably Apartment 1 and Apartment 2). Safety concerns have also been noted in previous inspections, including violations for defective smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in Apartment 2 (2019). While some violations have been resolved, including a hot water issue in Apartment 1 from 2022, the pattern of complaints and violations suggests ongoing challenges with building maintenance and system reliability.