521 West 159th Street, Manhattan, NY 10032

521 West 159th Street is a 5-story, 20-unit New Law Tenement building constructed in 1905, currently managed by 515 Newlife HDFC and located in the Washington Heights neighborhood. The building has experienced several recurring maintenance issues, particularly regarding heat and hot water systems, with the most recent complaint recorded in May 2025 regarding lack of heat/hot water in the entire building. In April 2025, multiple violations were issued for various issues including problems with the building's door/window systems, intercom/buzzer system, heavy water flow, safety concerns related to smoke detectors, and unsanitary conditions involving mold.

The building has also seen significant issues in apartment 21, as evidenced by multiple Housing Maintenance Code Violations from December 2024, including problems with missing smoke detectors, radiator issues, sink waste line connection, entrance door problems, and the need to address an infestation of roaches. Inspection records show a mix of passed and failed results for rodent inspections between 2016 and 2024, with particular note of failures in May 2022 and June 2017. While the building has shown consistent reporting of bedbugs from 2019-2024, recent filings indicate no infested or eradicated units in the last three reporting periods (2021-2024).

A complaint regarding a potentially illegal Certificate of Occupancy was filed in October 2022, though inspection access was not granted, resulting in an "Unable to Gain Access" disposition. The building has experienced various water-related issues, with complaints about leaks (both slow and heavy flow) being a recurring theme, and recent emergency complaints about water systems being logged. The property has maintained consistent rodent control measures in recent years, passing inspections as recent as 2023 and 2024, though it should be noted that old violations may still be pending resolution.