550 West 126th Street, Manhattan, NY 10027

The two-story, four-unit building at 550 West 126th Street in Harlem, owned by Fernando Alba, has faced several significant maintenance challenges over recent years, particularly between 2023 and 2025. Most notably, there have been recurring rodent issues, with recent inspections in 2025, 2024, and multiple service requests indicating ongoing rodent activity despite inspections having passed previously. In May 2024, the building experienced multiple interconnected issues, particularly affecting apartment 2H, including violations related to mold, water leaks, and paint/plaster conditions.

These resulted in multiple Housing Maintenance Code Violations being issued, all of which were marked as closed by mid-2024. The violations included problems with self-closing doors, broken plastered surfaces, mold conditions in the bathroom, water leak evidence, and missing carbon monoxide/smoke detectors. The building's maintenance history shows a mixture of emergency and non-emergency complaints being addressed, with the most recent issues continuing to involve rodent-related problems.

Between 2024 and 2025, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene conducted several inspections revealing rat activity. While the building has maintained a consistent record of bedbug-free status from 2019 to 2025, the more pressing concerns revolve around rodent infestations and water-related issues. The property has successfully addressed various violations, as evidenced by their certified closure dates, including repairs to address mold conditions, water leaks, and various safety equipment improvements. However, the relatively recent recurrence of rodent issues suggests this remains an ongoing challenge for the building.