478 West 159th Street, Manhattan, NY 10032

478 West 159th Street is a 5-story, 15-unit residential building in Washington Heights, owned by Yvonne Stennett, and constructed in 1896. The property has experienced several maintenance issues in recent years, with the most significant cluster of problems occurring between January and April 2025, including multiple water leak incidents (both heavy flow and damp spots), door and window issues, and paint/plaster problems affecting ceilings and walls. These issues resulted in violations being issued by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD).

The building underwent an emergency inspection in March 2024 that revealed multiple violations in apartment 2A, including mold, missing safety devices (smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector), door problems, and an infestation of mice. While most of these violations were certified as corrected by April 2024, one bathroom tile issue remains open. The building's maintenance history shows consistent rodent control success, with all inspections from 2014 to 2024 passing without citation.

The property has maintained a bedbug-free record since 2019, with no reported infestations in the past six years. A variety of maintenance issues have been documented through 311 service requests and Housing Maintenance Code complaints, including plumbing problems, unsanitary conditions, and various maintenance needs in common areas and individual units. While many of these issues have been addressed through HPD inspections, the ongoing nature of some violations suggests continuing maintenance challenges.