103 West 131st Street, Manhattan, NY 10027

The three-story, six-unit brownstone at 103 West 131st Street in Harlem, built in 1885 and currently owned by Mike Ma, has experienced several significant maintenance issues in recent years. Most notably, between December 2022 and June 2023, there were multiple water leak complaints (classified as slow leak, heavy flow, and damp spot) that required HPD intervention, though no violations were ultimately issued. The building has also faced recurring heat and hot water issues, with significant complaints in both November 2022 (entire building) and January 2022 (individual apartment), the latter resulting in violations for inadequate heat supply to Apartment 2R and blocked access to the heating system.

Recent inspections in 2024 revealed an open violation related to the failure to file annual bedbug reports, though previous filings indicate no infested units reported between 2021-2023. The property has a history of construction-related issues, particularly notable in 2019 when multiple complaints were filed regarding illegal work on this designated landmark building, along with safety concerns about suspended scaffolds and pedestrian protection. These led to several ECB violations, including fines for failure to provide proper supervision and training during scaffold use.

There was also a significant period of regulatory scrutiny in 2018-2019 regarding plumbing work, including a stop work order and subsequent issues with permit compliance. As of 2025, the building has successfully passed multiple rodent inspections between 2019 and 2025, though it initially failed one inspection in August 2018. The property has maintained continuous bedbug monitoring compliance since 2021, with no infestations reported in recent years.