2681 Bainbridge Avenue, Bronx, NY 10458

The two-family house at 2681 Bainbridge Avenue in Fordham, owned by Sami Mubarez, has a significant history regarding building code compliance and unit configuration, particularly focused around a cellar apartment CC that appears to have been inappropriately converted. Built in 1915, this two-story structure experienced multiple housing maintenance issues in 2021, with complaints about mold, pests, and various paint/plaster conditions recorded between June and July of that year. An emergency heat/hot water complaint from November 2020 is particularly notable, as Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) inspectors were unable to gain access to verify the reported conditions. The building has been subject to significant scrutiny regarding its occupancy and modifications.

In July 2021, HPD inspectors issued violations related to unlawful cooking spaces, unauthorized living spaces, and plumbing modifications in the cellar apartment, with some of these violations still showing as open. Two illegal conversion complaints from mid-2021 triggered Department of Buildings investigations, revealing unauthorized modifications including partition walls, bathroom installations, and exposed utilities. Additional environmental control board violations were issued in late 2021, including one related to obstructed exit passageways on the second floor, though most were subsequently resolved. Despite these concerning compliance issues, the building has maintained a generally acceptable record in terms of rodent control, passing inspections regularly between 2015 and 2024.

The most recent rodent inspection in May 2024 showed compliance, following similar positive results in April 2023 and previous years. A late 2022 violation related to failing to certify corrections on an immediately hazardous violation was dismissed, though it indicates ongoing monitoring by city authorities. The building's documented history suggests ongoing challenges with building code compliance and unit configuration, particularly regarding the use of the cellar space, though recent years have shown no new major violations related to this issue. While the property has maintained good pest control standards, the pattern of complaints and violations from 2020-2021 indicates a period of significant maintenance and compliance challenges.