242 West 132nd Street, Manhattan, NY 10027

242 West 132nd Street is a 3-story, 7-unit converted New Law tenement building in Harlem, owned by Joseph Jamal and constructed in 1910. The building has experienced recurring heat and hot water issues, with two emergency complaints in 2023 (April and February) and a similar problem reported in 2021, all related to apartment units.

The property underwent significant scrutiny in 2023, with violations noted for illegal conversion from a 12-family to an 8-family building, and multiple housing maintenance code violations requiring attention to safety equipment and systems, including sprinkler system requirements and carbon monoxide detector postings. There were also compliance issues related to bedbug reporting requirements in 2021 and 2022. The building's history includes various Department of Buildings (DOB) violations, with a notable illegal conversion complaint in March 2023 resulting in a $1,250 penalty for operating without a valid certificate of occupancy.

Multiple violations were issued and subsequently dismissed related to external low pressure inspections between 2018 and 2021, and construction fence maintenance issues were documented in 2018 with penalties involved. Recent rodent inspections in 2024-2025 have passed, though there were failures recorded in 2022. The building has shown some improvements in recent years, with a bedbug report for 2022-2023 showing no infestation, though the property has had various maintenance violations that suggest ongoing oversight needs.