557 West 174th Street, Manhattan, NY 10033

557 West 174th Street is a 5-story, 21-unit New Law Tenement building constructed in 1912, currently owned by Paul Hanau and situated in Washington Heights. The building has experienced recurring heat and hot water issues, with multiple emergency complaints filed between November 2024 and January 2025, affecting both individual apartments and the entire building. In late 2024, there were also concerns about chemical odors that required intervention from the Department of Health and HPD.

The property has pending violations from October 2024 for maintenance issues in Apartment 2, including unfinished painting work and reports of both mice and roach infestations. Previous inspection records from 2023-2024 indicated problems in Apartment 54 including mold, defective smoke detectors, and plaster damage, though some violations were subsequently addressed by late 2023. The building has a significant history of plumbing and heating system concerns, with multiple complaints filed between 2020 and 2021 regarding boiler defects and drainage issues, and a notable violation in July 2021 regarding an open-ended domestic waste line that was creating unsanitary conditions.

This resulted in multiple environmental control board violations with associated fines. More recently, there have been positive rodent inspection results in October 2024 and December 2023, suggesting some improvement in pest management, though earlier inspections in 2022 showed consistent rat activity requiring bait application. The building's record shows consistent heat and maintenance challenges over recent years, with varying degrees of responsiveness from management to address these issues. However, there have been periods of improved compliance, as evidenced by recent passed rodent inspections and the closure of several past violations.