280 Etna Street, Brooklyn, NY 11208

280 Etna Street is a 2-family house located in Cypress Hills, built in 1910 and currently owned by Xiaoyong Lin. The building has undergone several significant maintenance and safety issues in recent years, with the most clusters of complaints occurring in early 2024. Between March 15 and March 19, 2024, multiple complaints were filed concerning various issues including unsafe stairs, roofing problems, fire escape safety, mailbox condition, flooring, plumbing (toilet), and pest issues.

While the Housing Preservation and Development Department (HPD) did not find violations during inspections of some of these complaints, three significant violations were issued in March 2024 for Apartment 2, including an insecure handrail, leaking roof affecting the ceiling, and a broken light fixture. Looking back to 2018, there was a serious situation regarding heat and hot water in the entire building, which resulted in violations being issued. This period also saw multiple complaints about illegal conversions of the cellar space, which was found to have been converted from a private dwelling to a multiple dwelling with unauthorized gas lines, electrical wiring, partitions, and plumbing fixtures.

Environmental Control Board violations were subsequently issued and resolved between 2018-2019 regarding failure to provide unobstructed exit passageways and work completed without proper permits. While there have been no reported bedbug infestations in the past two reporting periods (2023-2024), the building's maintenance history shows recurring issues with building systems and safety features, particularly during the 2018-2019 period which raised significant concern about the legality of the cellar conversions. The most recent housing maintenance code violations in 2024 particularly focus on safety and maintenance issues that directly affect resident comfort and safety, though many earlier violations related to heat and illegal conversions have been resolved.