444 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11238

444 Lafayette Avenue is a three-story, two-family residential building located in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, built in 1899 and currently owned by Norman Strulovitch. The property has experienced persistent maintenance challenges over the past two years, with particular concerns around sanitation. From May 2024 through early 2025, there were multiple reports of unsanitary conditions, including recurring issues with mold and pest infestations.

The most recent complaint, filed in January 2025, involved pest problems that inspectors could not access to verify, though similar complaints from 2024 had been closed without violations. The building underwent significant staircase repairs in mid-2024, addressing multiple violations related to missing and defective balusters and treads in the public hall stairs, particularly between the first and second stories, which had to be replaced or repaired. Additionally, there were issues with broken ceramic floor tiles in the basement lobby that required attention.

More recent developments in early 2025 have raised concerns about rodent activity, with multiple inspections showing evidence of rat presence between January and July 2025, though some bait application has occurred in response to these findings. The building's bedbug records are notably clear, with no reported infestations in the past five years from 2020 through 2024. Despite these ongoing maintenance issues, including the recent rodent concerns, the property has shown some responsiveness to violations, as evidenced by the certification of certain repairs in 2024, though many service requests were closed without inspection verification. The building's history shows a pattern of recurring moisture-related issues (mold), pest problems, and infrastructure maintenance needs, particularly regarding common areas and building access points.