396 Montgomery Street, Brooklyn, NY 11225

The 23-unit, 4-story New Law tenement building at 396 Montgomery Street in Crown Heights, currently owned by Avner Skoczylas, has experienced several significant maintenance issues in recent months (2025). Most notably, there are currently two open complaints regarding plumbing and wall conditions (as of June 2025). Between January and March 2025, the building faced multiple heat and hot water system failures, with several emergency complaints filed and subsequently addressed, though access issues complicated some inspections. The property has also demonstrated recurring window frame issues, with two separate complaints in March and April 2025 that resulted in inspection access challenges.

From an infrastructure perspective, the building experienced structural monitoring concerns in February 2025, with complaints about building shaking and structural stability. A subsequent inspection revealed violations related to missing and damaged bricks and spalling at the building's corners. While the building has maintained a bedbug-free status since 2020 (with the last reported infestation in 2020), rodent activity has been an ongoing concern, with multiple inspections in 2024 showing rat activity, though a compliance inspection in February 2025 passed. The building had multiple housing maintenance code violations identified during an August 2024 inspection, primarily affecting apartment 1E, including issues with water leaks, mold, defective door hardware, and various surface repair needs.

While some of these violations have been certified as corrected, others remain open in the current records. The building's maintenance history shows a pattern of recurring issues, particularly with building systems (heat/hot water), structural components, and pest management. Recent months have seen particular attention required for wall and plumbing systems, as evidenced by the open complaints filed in June 2025. The property has demonstrably addressed many past violations, with numerous cases being certified as corrected, though compliance with inspection access requirements has occasionally been problematic.