539 West 163rd Street, Manhattan, NY 10032

539 West 163rd Street, a 5-story, 30-unit New Law tenement built in 1900 and owned by Leon Lovinger, has experienced recurring maintenance issues in recent years, with the most significant concerns centered around water and heating systems. Most recently, in March 2025, there have been two water-related complaints, including an open "heavy flow" situation and a "slow leak" that resulted in violations being issued. The building has faced multiple heating and hot water problems, particularly during 2024 when there were at least four separate complaints about lack of heat or hot water affecting either the entire building or individual apartments.

The building was inspected in October 2023, revealing several violations including issues with the entrance door hardware, fire-retardant materials, and the need for various repairs in Apartment 55, which included problems with plaster surfaces, bathtub caulking, hot water fixtures, and mold conditions. The property has a history of illegal conversion complaints, with four separate incidents reported in 2024, though inspectors were unable to gain access during these inspections. In December 2023, violations were issued regarding prohibited door hardware in Apartment 35 and unauthorized construction work creating an 8' x 10' bedroom using metal and wood studs.

The building has maintained a good record regarding rodent inspections, consistently passing inspections every year from 2014 through 2024. Notably, there have been no reported bedbug infestations in the past five years, as evidenced by the building's bedbug reporting history from 2019 to 2025. Environmental and energy management violations include two active issues from 2021-2022 related to failure to display energy efficiency scores and benchmarking reports.