1236 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11225

The 16-unit, 4-story apartment building at 1236 Union Street in Crown Heights, owned by Yechezkel Litzman, has experienced recurring heating system issues throughout 2025, with multiple complaints about heat and hot water problems in both individual apartments and the entire building. Most recently, in March 2025 alone, there were three separate heat/hot water complaints filed with HPD, including one on March 17 that was marked as an emergency and closed within two days. The building has also been under scrutiny for unauthorized work, with seven "Work Without a Permit" complaints filed between November 2024 and May 2025, though inspectors were unable to gain access during most attempts to investigate.

Of particular concern is an active lead dust complaint from May 2024 currently in progress with the Department of Health. The building has a history of various maintenance issues, particularly in 2022-2023, when several violations were documented regarding stairway maintenance, including broken marble treads and defective locks on entrance doors. Two separate housing maintenance code violations related to fire escape egress obstruction and inadequate lighting in the fire passageway were recorded in July 2023.

While rodent inspections throughout 2023-2025 have generally passed, there was one instance in May 2023 showing rat activity. The building has demonstrated some improvements with no reported bedbug infestations in the last two reporting periods (2023-2024), though there was a period of persistent pest control activity noted between January and February 2023. Additionally, two violations were issued in 2023 for failure to file external low pressure inspections, which remain active as of today.