137 West 116th Street, Manhattan, NY 10026

137 West 116th Street is a 5-story, 10-unit residential building in Harlem, constructed in 1920 and currently owned by Michael Padernacht. The building has experienced persistent maintenance issues over the past several years, with particularly significant problems emerging in 2022 when multiple emergencies were reported including heavy water leaks, mold, and ceiling deterioration.

These issues resulted in multiple Housing Maintenance Code violations, particularly affecting Apartment 8 on the 4th floor, where violations for unsafe lead paint, defective smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detector issues, and various painting/plastering problems were documented. More recently, in 2023, the building received a violation for failure to file the 2019 external low-pressure inspection documentation.

The property has also faced ongoing pest management challenges, with rat sightings resulting in multiple DOHMH inspections and bait applications recorded throughout 2024-2025, including recent inspections in April and May 2025 showing active rodent activity. While the building's bedbug reports from 2019 through 2024 show no infestations or eradications, the persistent rodent activity and historical maintenance violations suggest ongoing challenges with building upkeep and pest control. The most recent violation activity, as of May 2025, indicates that while some issues have been addressed through bait applications, the rat activity persists, requiring continued intervention by health authorities.