353 Linwood Street, Brooklyn, NY 11208

353 Linwood Street is a two-family, two-story residential building located in East New York, built in 1901 and currently owned by Katherine Astafanous. The building has experienced several significant maintenance and legal issues over recent years. Most notably, in October 2024, there was a heat and hot water complaint that HPD was unable to inspect. In 2021, there was a series of water-related issues including both slow and heavy leaks, as well as unsanitary conditions involving sewage and pests, all occurring between May and July of that year.

These complaints were inspected but no violations were issued. The property has a documented history of unauthorized conversions, with multiple violations issued in July 2021 regarding illegal rooming units, plumbing fixtures, and an unauthorized kitchen in the cellar. The Department of Buildings conducted inspections in 2019 that revealed significant unauthorized construction in the cellar area, including illegal partitions, office space, kitchen, and bathroom facilities, resulting in multiple violations and penalties totaling $5,000. There are also two active DOB violations regarding failure to certify corrections on immediately hazardous (Class 1) ECB violations as of November 2019.

The building has undergone several inspections and received various permits, with the most recent permits issued in June 2019 for electrical and plumbing work. An illegal commercial/office use complaint was filed in 2018 and resolved in 2019. While there were multiple housing maintenance code violations and complaints throughout 2021 regarding various plumbing and sanitary issues, all of these complaints were closed with no violations issued. The property’s management has occasionally failed to comply with housing maintenance code requirements, as evidenced by some open violations and previous ECB penalties. A rodent inspection conducted in 2012 showed compliance, passing the inspection.