1401 Townsend Avenue, Bronx, NY 10452

1401 Townsend Avenue is a 5-story, 40-unit New Law Tenement building constructed in 1923, currently owned by Arturo Torres. The property has experienced several recurring issues over the past five years, with the most pressing being concerns about heat and hot water. In January 2024, there were two emergency complaints about lack of heat/hot water in the entire building, though one was resolved within two days and the other was closed due to denied access for inspection. The building has persistent rat activity, with the most recent rodent inspections in 2025-2024 consistently showing evidence of infestation, though it passed its inspection in March 2024.

There are currently multiple open violations related to annual bedbug reporting from 2021-2024. The building has faced various maintenance challenges, including four separate emergency complaints about cooking gas issues in 2019-2020, and multiple open violations regarding failure to file energy use benchmarking reports between 2019-2022. Specific unit-level issues have been documented, particularly in apartments 22, 31, and 35, including problems with window guards, bathroom flooring, and plastered surfaces. Regulatory compliance has been a recurring challenge, with multiple administrative violations and fines, including a 2022 ECB violation regarding a faulty flue pipe that resulted in a $1,250 penalty.

Two gas utility referrals were recorded in 2022-2023 under the Department of Buildings, though inspectors were unable to gain access for verification. The building has had several inspections and complaints regarding food establishments, with the most recent recorded in October 2024 involving rodent/insect/garbage issues that was closed by the NYC Health Department. While inspections have occasionally found requiring conditions, such as pests, water leaks, and various interior maintenance issues, many of these complaints were closed without violations being issued after inspections. The property's management has faced ongoing challenges addressing recurring issues across multiple categories, particularly regarding plumbing, heating systems, and pest control, as evidenced by the pattern of complaints and violations over recent years.