656 West 171st Street, Manhattan, NY 10032

The 5-story, 29-unit New Law Tenement building at 656 West 171st Street in Washington Heights, owned by Fort Washington Equities Ltd, has experienced several recurring maintenance issues in recent years. Most notably, the building has faced multiple heat and hot water system problems between late 2023 and throughout 2024-2025, with emergency complaints indicating lack of service in both individual units and the entire building. Recent maintenance concerns include ongoing issues with the mailbox system, with the most recent complaint still open as of May 2025, and sanitation problems in garbage/recycling storage areas.

The building has also accumulated several Class C violations related to fire safety, with inspections in late 2024 identifying problems with self-closing doors and defective hinges at various fire doors in the public halls. Positive indicators include consistent passing results in rodent inspections between 2021 and 2025, and no reported bedbug infestations in the past five reporting periods from 2021 to 2025. The building underwent three Tenant Safety Inspections in 2024, all of which resulted in compliance confirmation.

However, there are two open violations from November 2024 related to defective ceramic floor tiles and fire door issues on the 3rd story, which remain unresolved as of October 2023. The building's maintenance history shows a pattern of heat and hot water system problems, with at least five separate incidents recorded between September 2023 and January 2025. While some maintenance issues have been resolved through HPD inspections, the recurring nature of heat system problems and the recent mailbox and sanitation concerns suggest ongoing maintenance challenges.