705 St Marks Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11216

The 20-unit, 4-story tenement building at 705 St. Marks Avenue in Crown Heights, built in 1900 and owned by Cheskl Rubin, has experienced a range of significant maintenance and health-related issues in recent years. Most notably, there has been persistent rodent activity throughout 2025, with multiple bait applications and inspections showing continuous rat presence despite some compliance passes.

The building has also faced various structural and health concerns, including multiple violations for broken or defective flooring in apartment 4E and issues with unsanitary conditions including sewage, pests, and mold. A concerning pattern of access issues for inspectors in 2025 (March and May) limited evaluations of floor conditions, though some violations were ultimately issued. The property has maintained a clean record regarding bedbug infestations from 2020 through 2024, with zero reported cases. Recent inspections and violations indicate ongoing maintenance challenges, including an active ECB violation from 2021 related to boiler safety equipment.

Multiple heating and plumbing-related complaints have been recorded, including emergency reports of heating problems in October 2024. The building has undergone several inspections for purported illegal hotel rooms, though inspectors were typically unable to gain access. Compliance inspections in 2025 have occasionally shown improvement, such as a passed compliance inspection in June 2025 for rodent issues, but the building has generally maintained an open status for various violations. Notable repairs have been documented, such as the resolution of some floor, pest, and plumbing issues through official notices of violation and required repairs, though many problems remain persistent, suggesting ongoing maintenance challenges for the property.