165 Sands Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201

This seven-story, 120-unit residential building located at 165 Sands Street in Vinegar Hill, built in 1902 and currently owned by Veronica Wong, has experienced various maintenance and safety issues over the past several years. Most notably, in 2025, there were two separate complaints regarding unsanitary conditions related to garbage/recycling storage and an electric/gas range, neither of which could be inspected due to access issues.

The building has a documented history of garbage/recycling storage problems, pest infestations, and various appliance issues. A single open violation from 2023 remains concerning regarding a broken window sash in apartment 603, while multiple older violations from 2021 related to fire escape, plumbing, and a heating system inspection were resolved without penalties. The elevator system has been a recurring concern, with multiple complaints and violations documented between 2018-2019, including instances of out-of-service conditions that warranted ECB violations and fines.

Most recently, there are active open violations from 2022-2023 related to the failure to file required benchmarking reports and display energy efficiency information, along with a failure to perform required inspections. The building's management has consistently demonstrated compliance with bedbug reporting requirements, showing zero infested units reported annually since 2021, and has passed rodent inspections in 2013 and 2021. While space for improvement remains, particularly regarding recent open violations and access issues during inspections, the building has generally maintained compliance with major safety standards, as evidenced by the timely closure of many previous violations.