647 West 172nd Street, Manhattan, NY 10032

The six-story, 31-unit New Law Tenement building at 647 West 172nd Street in Washington Heights, currently owned by George Huang, has experienced significant maintenance challenges in recent years, particularly regarding heat and hot water availability. Notably, in 2025 alone, there were multiple documented complaints about heat and hot water issues affecting the entire building, with inspections often unable to gain access to verify conditions.

The building has also been grappling with pest-related issues, with open violations as of January 2025 regarding unsanitary conditions and multiple rodent activity inspections throughout 2024-2025 indicating ongoing vermin problems. Structural concerns have been documented through various channels, including building safety monitoring in 2024 showing bulging and step cracking at the main entrance parapet reported in April 2024, which led to two environmental control board violations with penalties.

The property has multiple open violations regarding building security infrastructure, including doors needing repairs or replacements, as evidenced by inspections in 2024-2025 showing issues with self-closing doors, latchsets, and locksets at the main entrance and vestibule. While the building has passed its annual bedbug inspections from 2021 through 2025 with no reported infestations, the ongoing challenges with heat and hot water systems, pest control, and building security features, combined with recent structural monitoring requirements, suggest persistent maintenance and operational challenges for this 108-year-old building.