398 12th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215

The 8-unit, 4-story old-law tenement building at 398 12th Street in South Slope, built in 1931 and currently owned by Arthur Burns, has experienced several notable issues in recent years that warrant attention. Most significantly, there was an illegal conversion incident in early 2020 involving unauthorized cellar-level modifications, including full-height partitions and plumbing installations, which resulted in multiple Environmental Control Board violations and penalties totaling $3,125.

The building currently has active violations related to the failure to file external low-pressure inspections for 2018, 2019, and 2022, as well as an unresolved 2019 boiler inspection violation. In 2018, there was a documented cockroach infestation in apartment 3L, though subsequent maintenance violations from the same year involving gas leak procedures and housing information guides were addressed.

The building's recent history shows generally positive maintenance outcomes, with no recorded bedbug infestations in the past five years and consistently passing rodent inspections in 2016. The most recent 311 complaints have been relatively minor, including a standing water issue in 2018, which was promptly investigated by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. While the property has maintained compliance with bedbug reporting requirements and shown consistent attention to pest management, the persistence of the active violations related to low-pressure inspections and the historical illegal conversion issue suggest areas requiring continued monitoring.