493 7th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11215

The four-story, seven-unit New Law Tenement building at 493 7th Avenue in South Slope, owned by Ben Soleimani and dating from 1920, has experienced persistent maintenance issues throughout 2024-2025. Most notably, there have been recurring problems with heat and hot water, with multiple emergency complaints filed between December 2024 and February 2025, though some HPD inspectors were unable to gain access to verify these conditions. There have been significant sanitation concerns, particularly regarding garbage and recycling storage, with multiple complaints across late 2024 and early 2025, though inspections generally found these did not violate housing laws.

The building is currently facing ongoing rodent issues, with inspections in February and April 2025 confirming rat activity, following earlier sightings reported to the DOHMH. Recent complaints suggest possible construction-related concerns, with Department of Buildings inspections in March- April 2025 documenting illegal plumbing work and an illegal conversion complaint, though access was not granted for verification. An active Environmental Control Board violation from September 2024 involves combustible construction debris with a penalty of $3,125.

On a positive note, the building has maintained a clean record regarding bedbug infestations, with zero reported cases across multiple annual filings from 2020 through 2025. The property has seen multiple permit issuances in 2019, including for electrical and plumbing work, though the specific nature of these permits is not detailed in the provided data. While the building's history shows consistent attention to maintenance issues through various complaint systems, the recurring nature of recent heat/hot water problems and current rodent activity appears to be the most significant ongoing challenges affecting resident quality of life.