625 Emerald Street, Brooklyn, NY 11208

The three-story, three-unit building at 625 Emerald Street in East New York, owned by Tracie Gilliam, was constructed in 2005 and is classified as a Class A apartment building. Of particular concern is the building's current status regarding its Certificate of Occupancy (C of O), with a violation noted in May 2025 for occupancy without a valid C of O, as the Temporary C of O issued in 2008 expired on 5/5/2008. An Environmental Control Board violation from 2020 indicates that the Class A apartment was allegedly converted into three single-room occupancy (SRO) units at second-story apartment #2, complete with a full kitchen and bathroom.

The building has experienced multiple maintenance issues, particularly in 2020, with numerous complaints related to heat/hot water, electrical systems, flooring, and safety concerns including carbon monoxide detector issues. Many of these complaints resulted from the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) being unable to gain access to inspect the reported problems. The building has a documented history of non-compliance with housing maintenance requirements, including the failure to file required annual bedbug reports from 2021 through 2024, though the building has reported zero bedbug infestations during these periods.

Recent inspections have noted various compliance issues including the need for proper notices regarding smoke detector requirements, gas leak procedures, and housing information guides in common areas, though many of these violations were subsequently closed. The property has been subject to multiple illegal conversion complaints between 2019-2021, suggesting ongoing concerns about unauthorized unit modifications, with inspectors frequently being denied access to verify conditions. However, more recent records show no such violations, and the building has maintained a clean bedbug inspection record since 2020. A permit was issued in May 2025 for work associated with the building's C of O status, indicating current efforts to address this long-standing compliance issue.