121 St Nicholas Avenue, Manhattan, NY 10026

121 St Nicholas Avenue is a 7-story, 28-unit old law tenement building constructed in 1910 and currently owned by Brenda Ratliff. The building has experienced several significant issues in recent years, with the most concerning being an ongoing rodent infestation problem. Between August 2024 and June 2025, there have been multiple complaints and inspections resulting in "Rat Activity" findings, though bait has been consistently applied in response to these issues.

The building suffered a series of heat and hot water outages in December 2023, with multiple complaints recorded about both apartment-specific and building-wide services; while some issues were reportedly resolved, access limitations prevented complete inspections. More recently, as of December 2024, multiple housing maintenance code violations have been documented, particularly affecting Apartment 2B, including problems with water leaks, defective plaster surfaces, and carbon monoxide detectors. The building is currently facing active facade-related issues, with violation notices regarding exterior wall maintenance and the need to submit required inspection reports under Local Law 11/98, suggesting potential safety concerns.

Historical data reveals past problems with mold (2022), unsanitary conditions (2023), and various building maintenance issues including problems with the roof and sidewalk shed. However, no bedbug infestations have been reported since 2019, with the last documented case being in a single unit that was subsequently eradicated. The building's maintenance history shows some positive patterns, such as the prompt response to certain heat/hot water complaints in late 2023 and regular permit issuance for equipment-related work. Nevertheless, the combination of recent violations, ongoing rodent issues, and recurring heating system problems suggests persistent maintenance challenges in this century-old building.