502 West 170th Street, Manhattan, NY 10032

502 West 170th Street is a 5-story, 20-unit New Law Tenement building constructed in 1907, currently owned by Jose Garcia. The building has experienced several recurring maintenance issues over recent years, with the most significant concerns appearing in 2023-2024. Most notably, in September 2023, violations were documented for unsanitary conditions including pest infestations (specifically mice and roaches) in Apartment 8, along with hanging electrical wires in the same apartment.

The building's maintenance history shows ongoing challenges with basic services, including three recorded heat/hot water complaints between 2021-2022 (affecting different floors and at least one being for the entire building), multiple electrical issues including two power outages in May 2022, and various plumbing concerns including a water leak in August 2023. The property has had systematic pest management, as evidenced by multiple inspections and the absence of reported bedbug infestations in recent years (2020-2024). Rodent inspections show a mixed history, with recent inspections in 2024 and 2023 passing, though there were recorded rat activity issues in mid-2022.

The building's safety systems have required attention, with violations for missing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors documented in December 2022 for Apartment 3. Recent inspections have identified several maintenance issues requiring attention, including a violation for improper electrical wiring in September 2023 and an encumbrance issue involving a bicycle chained to a radiator in September 2023. Despite these challenges, the building's management has generally responded to violations, as evidenced by the relatively high rate of closed violation status updates, though several current violations remain open as of the latest inspections.