478 East 138th Street, Bronx, NY 10454

478 East 138th Street is a 4-story, 4-unit Old Law Single Room Occupancy building constructed in 1915 and currently owned by Simeon Farber. The property has experienced recurring maintenance issues throughout 2024, with multiple complaints and violations related to plumbing (including sink and bathtub/shower problems), unsanitary conditions (including mold and pest infestations), and various structural issues.

Notably, there are several open violations from September 2024, including defective self-closing doors in dormitory 3 and public hall areas, non-functioning smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in the third-story public hall, and an active infestation of roaches in the third-story public hall. There are also infrastructure concerns, including cracked concrete issues on exterior walls and problems with a community bathroom shower drain cover.

The building's history shows a pattern of maintenance challenges, though recent records from 2025 indicate no reported bedbug infestations and passed rodent inspections in both 2022 and 2023. Previous violations and complaints from 2018 regarding fresh air cleanliness and an ECB violation related to non-compliance with a commissioner's order remain active but suggest some administrative issues rather than immediate health or safety concerns. The property has undergone some permitted work in recent years, with multiple plumbing-related permits issued between 2018 and 2022, though there was an unauthorized use of signature and seal violation in 2020 that remains active.