Free Building Background Check

314 West 138 Street

MANHATTAN, NY 10030 BBL 1020410126 7 units · 3 floors · 1901

This building has a severe track record, and our model predicts major ongoing maintenance failures.

HPD violations vs. neighborhood
Class B/C violations on record vs. a typical building in Harlem
At or below average
avg 48.5
15
Fewer violations More violations

This building has 15 recorded HPD violations, at or below the Harlem average of 48.5.

Rent & eviction protection

Is 314 West 138 Street rent-stabilized?

Rent stabilization caps how much your rent can rise and protects your right to renew. Here's how this building scores on the four signals that usually point to it.

Built before 1974
Built 1901
6 or more units
7 units
Registered with RGB
Not found
421-A / J-51 abatement
None found
Potential rent stabilization. Building age and size suggest eligibility — confirm with the DHCR (Division of Housing and Community Renewal) or request a rent history.

Based on public NYC records. Not legal advice — verify with the DHCR (Division of Housing and Community Renewal) at apps.hcr.ny.gov.

Augrented Insights
AI summary · updated June 2026

314 West 138th Street is a 3-story, one-unit building in Harlem, owned by James Chow and constructed in 1901. The property has experienced recurring heat and hot water issues, with multiple emergency complaints filed in 2021 and most recently in March 2024, though as of the latest inspection, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) was unable to gain access to verify the current conditions. There is an active boiler violation from November 2021, citing issues with the Weil McLain EG-75 system, including dirty glass gauge, ceiling and wall openings, improperly sealed chimney base, and missing fire damper.

The building has consistently struggled with pest control, particularly rodent infestations, with multiple inspections showing rat activity from 2023 through 2025. Bedbug reporting compliance violations are open from 2022-2024. In April 2021, the property faced multiple emergency complaints requiring attention to unsanitary conditions, including mold, plumbing issues, and various maintenance problems affecting the community bathroom and kitchen. The building has several open violations from 2021-2024, including needing to address broken window components in Apartment 2R, missing sink in kitchen, and various maintenance issues in common areas. Historical records show concerns about unauthorized work in the cellar, leading to multiple violations in 2018 related to work performed without proper permits and subsequent failure to comply with correction orders, with penalties totaling over $20,000 in 2018-2019, though some were resolved.

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How we score buildings

How 314 West 138 Street's risk score is calculated

We trained a model on 7 years of city inspection data — HPD violation filings, tenant complaints, and owner track records across their entire portfolio. It estimates the probability that HPD inspectors will find serious or dangerous violations at this address in the next 12 months. Lower % = safer.

What the score means for you

Neighborhood percentile
61th percentile

Out of 2807 buildings in this neighborhood, 1712 have a higher predicted risk.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted violation outcome
43.9%
No serious
violations
40.9%
Some violations
(1–9)
15.1%
Many violations
(10+)
Risk factors

What's driving this score

These are the three data points that most influenced this building's score — ranked by how much weight the model placed on each one.

Tenant HPD complaints (past 7 years)

Formal complaints tenants filed with HPD about this address over the last 7 years.

Complaint rate, landlord's portfolio

Average complaint rate per building across everything this landlord owns. High rates signal systemic neglect.

Hazardous violations (past 7 years)

HPD violations classified as hazardous — things like mold, peeling lead paint, or broken heat.

Don't stop here — this is just the surface.

The full report adds 30+ data sets, complete violation history, landlord portfolio and court record. Or keep reading free:

What's in the 314 West 138 Street report

Building characteristics
Total units7
Floors3
Year built1901
Gross area2,652 sq ft
Building class
Tax abatementNone
Issue trend & model projection

Violations & complaints per year — solid line is historical record, dashed line is AI projection.

Who's behind the building

314 West 138 Street's landlord & ownership

The people and companies registered to this building, the other properties they run, and their court record. A landlord's wider portfolio is often the best predictor of how your building will be treated.

Individual Owner

Registered contact for this building.

Name
James Chow
Address
78 Forsyth St 1
New York, NY 10002
Landlord portfolio

Other properties owned.

Portfolio data hidden

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What residents say

Reviews from 314 West 138 Street tenants

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On the map

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The story over time

314 West 138 Street event timeline

Violations, complaints, fines, and permits — the most recent records on file, in order.

2026
HPD Violation Apr 29
Class A violation
(A) § Hmc:File Annual Bedbug Report In Accordance With Hpd Rule As Described On The Back Of This Notice Of Violation Or As Described On Hpd…

See all 15 events

Full history back to 2022 — violations, complaints, permits, bedbug filings, and more.

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Every record we have

Full data for 314 West 138 Street apartments

30+ public city datasets for this address — searchable and sortable.

Side by side

How 314 West 138 Street compares to the neighborhood

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Cancel anytime · Data sourced from NYC Open Data, HPD, DOB, DOF & the courts

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