551 St Marks Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11216

The three-story 2-family house at 551 St. Marks Avenue in Crown Heights, owned by Zachary Levin and built in 1905, has experienced several significant maintenance and compliance issues over the past five years. Most notably, there have been recurring concerns regarding illegal conversions and certificate of occupancy status, with three separate complaints lodged between 2018 and 2021, though in each case inspectors were unable to gain access to the property on their final attempts.

The building experienced an emergency electrical lighting issue in late 2019 that required resolution. More recently, in 2024, there was a notable period of rodent activity, with several inspections showing rat presence in April and August, though subsequent inspections in 2024-2025 showed the building passing rodent inspections. The property has undergone some maintenance and improvement work, as evidenced by multiple Department of Buildings permits issued between 2018 and 2019 for exterior and plumbing work, with all permits showing proper issuance and processing.

Four out of seven rodent inspections since 2022 were passed, indicating some successful remediation efforts. There have been no recorded violations during inspections of adjacent buildings or regarding structural stability despite complaints in 2018 and 2019 respectively. While the building has faced multiple challenges over the years, recent records (2024-2025) show improvements in both rodent control and building inspections, with no new violations or complaints on record since 2021.