274 Hancock Street, Brooklyn, NY 11216

The 4-unit, 3-story residential building at 274 Hancock Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant, owned by Monica Joseph, has a notable history of maintenance issues, particularly during a cluster of incidents in February 2019 when multiple emergency complaints were filed regarding unsanitary conditions (specifically mold), heat/hot water problems, and water leaks. During this period, the Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Department issued violations related to mold and failed to gain access for inspections on several occasions. In March 2019, additional violations were documented concerning apartment 1, including problems with smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, water-damaged wood floors, and visible mold conditions.

While these violations were classified as Class B and should have required timely remediation, the building has since maintained a consistent record of submitting required annual bedbug reports showing no infestations from 2019 through 2025, demonstrating compliance with this particular requirement. More recent inspection history shows relatively fewer issues, with the most recent bedbug report for 2025 indicating no units with infestations. The building has undergone regular rodent inspections, all of which have passed since 2020.

In 2024, a complaint regarding water retention/poor drainage was investigated but resulted in no violations being warranted at the time of inspection. As of April 2024, there are three open violations on record from May 2019 concerning apartment 1, specifically related to malfunctioning smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and defects requiring floor repairs, though these are now somewhat dated and may have been addressed given the passage of time. The building's age (built in 1891) and past issues suggest a history of moisture-related problems, as evidenced by the multiple mold complaints in 2019, though the absence of recent related complaints indicates potential improvement in building conditions.