156 South 4th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211

156 South 4th Street is a 3-story, 4-unit Old Law Tenement building constructed in 1899 and currently owned by Rolf Grimsted. The property has experienced several concerning maintenance issues in recent years, most notably recurring heat and hot water problems, with emergencies reported in both 2021 and late 2022 affecting different areas of the building. The building has been without proper emergency lighting at least once in late 2022.

More alarmingly, there are four active Housing Maintenance Code violations from 2021-2024 regarding the failure to file annual bedbug reports, which are classified as Class A violations that require immediate attention. The building has a troubling history of illegal occupancy issues, particularly in 2019 when Apartment #2 was cited for multiple safety violations including inadequate fire alarm systems, missing sprinklers, and insufficient means of egress related to unauthorized transient use, resulting in significant fines totaling $12,250. These violations remain active as of 2025, including a specific Environmental Control Board violation for failure to provide the required fire alarm system for transient use.

The property underwent rodent inspections in 2019, showing initial rat activity in April but passing subsequent compliance inspection in June. Recent service requests indicate continued maintenance challenges, though most of these have been addressed without violations being issued. The building's history shows a pattern of reactive maintenance rather than proactive upkeep, with multiple instances of heat and hot water issues, lighting problems, and a series of bedbug reporting violations that have persisted over several years. The active illegal occupancy violations from 2019 suggest serious concerns about building safety and compliance with residential regulations, though there is no record of similar issues in more recent years.