515 West 169th Street, Manhattan, NY 10032

The 8-unit, 4-story building at 515 West 169th Street in Washington Heights, owned by John Catalic, has experienced recurrent heating issues over the past year, with multiple emergency heat/hot water complaints filed in February 2024. Despite these emergency complaints, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) was unable to gain access to the building for inspections in these instances. The building has a documented history of mold-related complaints, with three separate incidents reported in mid-2021, though no violations were issued upon inspection.

Serious infrastructure issues were identified in a July 2021 inspection of Apartment 4B, including problems with the ceiling plaster and roof leaks, which resulted in open Class B violations. Additional open violations from July 2021 pertain to required repairs of fire retardant materials and painting requirements in public areas, along with self-closing door requirements. The building has a mixed maintenance history, with a 2019 plumbing issue involving a sink/basin that resulted in violations, and multiple complaints about the building's buzzer/intercom system in 2021.

A December 2019 inspection also revealed carbon monoxide detector concerns, though these were subsequently addressed. On a positive note, the building has maintained consistent pest control standards, with all rodent inspections (conducted regularly from 2018 through 2024) passing successfully. The building has also demonstrated effective bedbug management, with no reported infestations in the past five reporting periods from 2020 through 2024, showing zero infested or eradicated units in each annual filing. While the building's bedbug and rodent records are exemplary, the recent heating issues and outstanding violations from 2021 warrant attention, particularly considering their potential impact on resident comfort and safety.