602 East 187th Street, Bronx, NY 10458

The three-story tenement building at 602 East 187th Street in Belmont, managed by Portia Properties III LLC, has a significant number of health and safety concerns, particularly in recent months. Most notably, there has been an ongoing rat infestation problem throughout 2024-2025, with multiple inspections in 2025 alone showing consistent rat activity and the application of bait in February 2025.

The building also experienced a heat and hot water outage in December 2021, though these services were reportedly restored quickly following tenant notification. While the property has maintained an active bedbug reporting record showing zero infestation cases from 2022 through 2024, there have been recurring public health concerns, particularly related to food safety, with multiple Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) complaints about food handling practices in 2022 and periodic food contamination issues between 2020-2022. The most recent complaints include a DOHMH investigation initiated in June 2025 regarding improper food handling practices (bare hands in contact with food), which remains in progress.

The building's history shows consistent compliance with bedbug reporting requirements from 2019 through 2024, with all reports indicating zero infested units. While the heat and hot water issue was resolved, the persistent rodent problems and recent food safety concerns represent ongoing challenges for the property. The building has demonstrated responsiveness to violations when they occur, as shown by the closure of various complaints and violations after appropriate resolutions, though the recurrence of certain issues suggests ongoing maintenance challenges.