550 West 160th Street, Manhattan, NY 10032

The five-story New Law Tenement at 550 West 160th Street in Washington Heights, managed by owner Yvonne Stennett, has experienced recurring issues with heat and hot water in 2025, with a notable cluster of complaints in March 2025 involving the entire building. These complaints were classified as emergencies by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). The building also faced water supply issues in March 2025, marking a concerning pattern of infrastructure problems.

An inspection from July 2024 revealed several violations, including a mold condition, pest infestation, and various repair needs in the fifth-floor apartment (Unit 5B), though some violations have since been closed. Historically, the building has maintained a relatively clean record regarding bedbug infestations, with no reports filed in the past three years, though there had been two isolated cases in 2018-2019. The property has undergone regular rodent inspections, with the most recent one from December 2024 indicating rat activity, following a failed inspection in October 2024. Previous years show a pattern of passing inspections, suggesting recent rodent control challenges.

The building's history reveals typical urban housing maintenance issues, including water leaks, plumbing problems, and various building code violations. Notable structural concerns were documented in a June 2025 complaint regarding potentially hazardous debris. There was also a locked egress complaint in 2020, though no violations were found at the time of inspection. The property has maintained its historical character as a 1906 tenement building, though it faces ongoing challenges with some basic building systems and infrastructure.