272 West 139th Street, Manhattan, NY 10030

The four-story, 18-unit tenement building at 272 West 139th Street in Harlem, built in 1891 and currently owned by Mayer Kaufman, has experienced several recurring maintenance issues over the past five years that warrant attention. Most notably, there have been persistent problems with water-related emergencies, including multiple water leak incidents (August 2021, September 2020), a plumbing issue involving water supply (October 2022), and a recent heat/hot water complaint from October 2024 that affected the entire building.

The building currently has multiple active violations with the Department of Buildings related to the failure to file required external low-pressure inspections for the years 2018-2023, including the most recent violation issued in September 2024. Recent inspections have revealed concerning patterns of rodent activity, with rat activity documented in multiple inspections throughout 2024 and into 2025, though some subsequent compliance inspections have passed.

The building's recent 311 service requests include an unsanitary animal complaint from June 2025 that remains in progress. While the building has maintained a consistent record of submitting bedbug reports showing zero infested or eradicated units since 2021, the frequency of water-related issues and the recent rodent activity suggest ongoing maintenance challenges. Historical complaints from 2021-2022 included pests and various access issues for inspectors, though these were eventually marked as closed without violations being issued.