17 East 131st Street, Manhattan, NY 10037

The five-story, 8-unit tenement building at 17 East 131st Street in East Harlem, owned by Greg Cohen and constructed in 1920, has experienced several maintenance issues over the past few years. Most recently, in May 2024, there were significant boiler-related concerns noted, with the Department of Buildings documenting exposed wiring, defective mechanical louvers for combustion air, and a corroded auto vent valve on the air separator in the Weil McLain EGH-85 gas boiler system. This resulted in an active Environmental Control Board violation with a $625 penalty.

While there have been multiple plumbing issues documented between 2019-2022, primarily involving radiator problems, all these complaints were ultimately closed without resulting violations. The building has a history of pest-related complaints, particularly in 2019, when multiple reports of unsanitary conditions were filed, with one instance resulting in violations and another being closed due to inability to inspect. However, there have been no pest complaints recorded since 2020, and the property has consistently filed bedbug reports showing zero infested units from 2019 through 2025.

The building's maintenance record shows regular rodent inspections, with the most recent inspections in 2025, 2024, and 2023 all passing. Notably, several building violations from 2019 remain open, including issues with bathroom fixtures, kitchen tiles, and smoke detector systems in apartment 1B. The property has maintained consistent communication with housing authorities, as evidenced by multiple 311 service requests and prompt responses to complaints, though some complaints required multiple filings before resolution.