42 East 51st Street, Brooklyn, NY 11203

The 2-story, 3-unit New Law Tenement building at 42 East 51st Street in East Flatbush, built in 1929 and owned by Horace Gordon, has experienced recurring maintenance issues, particularly with heat and water systems, over the past two years. Most recently, in January 2025, there were multiple complaints about heat and hot water problems, with one instance resulting in violations issued by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) when they were able to gain access for inspection. The building has shown persistent infrastructure challenges, with several complaints about water supply issues between 2024-2025, including a heavy water leak complaint in December 2023 and multiple heat/hot water complaints, particularly notable as these relate directly to essential building services.

The property has several open violations from 2024, including issues with building security (defective self-closing doors and locks at the front entrance), unsafe electrical wiring conditions, and problems with fire retardant plaster in common areas. An inspection from April 2024 indicated a failure to file the required annual bedbug report. The building's systems have generated multiple emergency service requests, particularly regarding heat and water issues, though many inspections have been unable to gain access to verify the reported problems.

Additional maintenance issues in 2024 included lighting problems, plumbing concerns, and multiple complaints about water leak conditions. Historically, the building had rodent activity in 2010, though it passed subsequent inspection that same year. The pattern of complaints and violations suggests ongoing challenges with building maintenance and resident access issues for inspections, particularly in verifying heat and water system functionality, which are critical to resident comfort and safety.