163 India Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222

163 India Street, a 5-unit, 3-story Old Law Tenement built in 1931 and owned by Janusz Kowalski, has experienced several significant maintenance issues in recent months. The building faced multiple emergency complaints in August 2023, including inadequate heat/hot water throughout the entire building, water supply problems, and unsanitary sewage conditions.

Violations were subsequently issued, with one instance requiring HPD inspection showing insufficient heat/hot water in at least one apartment. The building also underwent a concerning period of construction in mid-2023, leading to Environmental Control Board violations for failing to maintain code compliance, including improper removal of fire stopping in the basement (with a $2,500 penalty) and excessive construction dust throughout public corridors. In addition to these recent issues, the property had several violations identified in September 2023, including problems with self-closing doors, defective fire retardant materials in the boiler room, and an apartment-specific infestation of cockroaches in 2L.

Other maintenance concerns documented during this period included construction debris in public areas, issues with fire escape safety, and missing smoke detectors. Despite these recent challenges, the building's bedbug reporting records from 2019 to 2024 show no infestation cases, and a rodent inspection conducted in 2013 resulted in a passing score. While many of the cited violations were eventually certified as corrected between October and November 2023, the cluster of recent maintenance issues raises some continuity concerns about building upkeep and tenant comfort.