655 East 228th Street, Bronx, NY 10466

The 50-unit, 6-story building at 655 East 228th Street in Wakefield, owned by Rick Herman, has experienced several significant maintenance and compliance issues in recent years. Most notably, there has been a recurring pattern of heating system problems in early 2025, with multiple complaints regarding heat and hot water outages impacting both individual apartments and the entire building. While many of these complaints were eventually resolved, including one through HPD confirmation of restored service, the pattern suggests ongoing system challenges.

In late 2024, the building faced various maintenance issues specifically in apartment 5B, including problems with the intercom system, ceiling damage, and mold concerns, resulting in multiple Housing Maintenance Code violations. The building also has an active façade-related violation from 2022 regarding unsafe conditions under NYC Local Law 11, and a 2020 ECB violation related to the failure to submit required exterior wall examination reports. Recent safety and compliance history shows mixed responsiveness to maintenance issues.

For example, a fire escape safety complaint in May 2025 was investigated but found not to violate HPD housing laws. In June 2025, there was a documented indoor air quality complaint that resulted in a notification to the property management. The building has maintained a relatively clean record regarding pest control, with no bedbug infestations reported in the past three filing periods from 2021-2025, and passed a rodent inspection in October 2022. The property has shown some pattern of limitations in access for inspections during 2025, as evidenced by multiple instances where HPD could not gain entry to inspect reported conditions, suggesting potential challenges with unit access for maintenance verification.