540 East 138th Street, Bronx, NY 10454

540 East 138th Street is a 16-unit, 5-story old law tenement building located in Mott Haven, built in 1920 and currently owned by Hhrmc For Eric Oppenheimer. The building has experienced persistent maintenance issues in recent months, with multiple heat and hot water complaints (including emergencies affecting the entire building) occurring between February and May 2025, though some were closed after inspection. More recent concerns, as of May 2025, include a broken window guard (classified as an emergency), a slow water leak, and pest infestations, with open complaints regarding mold and janitorial/supervisory issues from June 2025.

The building's maintenance history shows recurring problems with insects and rodents, with open violations still present in apartments 2C and 3A for pests, and a recorded water leak issue. The property has a history of boiler issues, evidenced by an Environmental Control Board violation in June 2024 concerning defective equipment and a missing clean-out door. Several Housing Maintenance Code violations remain open, including problems with self-closing doors, inadequate hot water supply, and various maintenance issues in apartment 2C.

While the building has passed recent rodent inspections (2023 and 2022), there were recorded rat activities in 2022. The building's bedbug reporting history shows relatively few infestations, with only one documented case in 2020, though recent reports from 2022-2024 indicate no current infestations. Multiple compliance inspections have been conducted through the Department of Buildings, with varying results, and there are open violations related to unsafe conditions including defective stairs in common areas and water damage in ceilings and walls.