161 Taaffe Place, Brooklyn, NY 11205

161 Taaffe Place is a three-story, three-unit residential building located in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, constructed in 1905 and classified as an Old Law Tenement. The building, currently owned by Shmiez Berkowitz, has experienced several significant maintenance issues, most notably recent heat and hot water outages in March 2025 that affected the entire building.

These outages, though eventually resolved, required multiple 311 service calls and HPD inspections to confirm restoration of services. The building has maintained a consistent record of bedbug reporting from 2020 through 2024, with all four annual reports showing zero infested units, indicating effective pest management. The property has faced various maintenance challenges over the years, with several Housing Maintenance Code violations remaining open since 2016, including issues related to waste storage and fire escape safety.

Specifically, violations from 2016 require the provision of proper waste receptacles and regular disinfection of storage areas, as well as improvements to the fire escape system including the proper securing of the drop ladder shoe. However, the building has passed recent rodent inspections in 2022, 2024, and 2025, though there was one failed inspection in 2016 for "Other Reasons." The most recent Department of Buildings records show a permit was issued in February 2021 for unspecified work. While the building has documented various violations over the years, recent inspections and bedbug reporting suggest improvements in certain maintenance areas, though the recurring nature of heating system issues warrants attention to building systems infrastructure.