234 East 204th Street, Bronx, NY 10458

The 5-unit, 3-story building at 234 East 204th Street in Norwood, built in 1926, has experienced numerous maintenance and safety issues over the past year. Most concerning are the active Department of Buildings (DOB) violations related to structural integrity, with multiple reports of a large vertical crack running from the cellar to the roof on the building's east facade (Valentine Avenue side), first noted in July 2024. Between September and December 2024, the building faced recurring issues with heat and hot water throughout the entire building, cooking gas supply problems, and various appliance concerns.

Ten apartment-specific violations were issued in late 2024, including lead paint hazards in Apartment 2 and building-wide maintenance issues such as ceiling damage, water leaks, and plumbing concerns. Recent inspections from 2024-2025 revealed some continuing structural concerns, including a vibrating or shaking building report and investigations into possible illegal conversions. The building has also experienced rodent activity, with three inspections between 2024 and 2025 noting this issue, though earlier inspections from 2016 to 2023 had passed. The property shows a pattern of emergency service requests and maintenance code violations, particularly between August and December 2024, with multiple instances of HPD issuing violations that required the owner to make repairs.

These violations, while technically resolved through inspections, suggest an ongoing challenge with timely maintenance responses. The building's bedbug and rodent history from 2016 through 2025 indicates varying pest management results, with recent rat activity noted in mid-2024 and February 2025. These violations include both Housing Maintenance Code violations and DOB violations, with some currently remaining open as of 2025. The building's management has received multiple violation notices for inadequate maintenance and repair work, particularly regarding the significant facade crack and interior maintenance issues, and there are several active Environmental Control Board (ECB) violations with associated fines for failure to maintain the property in a code-compliant manner.