53 Utica Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11233

The three-story, 112-unit residential building at 53 Utica Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant, owned by Herminio Torres and constructed in 1982, has experienced several significant maintenance issues in recent years. Most notably, the building underwent a serious incident in 2024 involving fire damage in apartment 2A, along with related violations concerning gas supply to kitchen fixtures and reoccupying units under repair order.

The property has faced recurring problems with heating and hot water systems, evidenced by multiple emergency complaints in early 2025, though HPD inspections typically found no violations. Recent inspections have also revealed issues with door frames and windows, particularly difficulties in obtaining access for HPD inspections. The building's safety systems were briefly non-compliant in late 2024, when violations were issued for defective smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in apartment 2A, though these were certified as corrected by the end of October 2024.

The property has active DOB violations related to the failure to file required external low-pressure inspections for several years between 2018 and 2023. In terms of pest control, there have been no bedbug infestations reported in the past year, but the building has experienced periodic rodent activity, with the most recent inspection in July 2025 passing, showing improvement from previous rat activity findings in late 2024. The HPD has conducted numerous inspections in response to tenant complaints, most recently in March 2025, and while many inspections find no violations, there appears to be an ongoing challenge with obtaining access for inspections, as seen in multiple closed complaints where inspectors were unable to complete their assessments.