286 East 55th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11203

The two-story, four-unit apartment building at 286 East 55th Street in East Flatbush, owned by Gerard Gray, has experienced recurring heat and hot water issues over recent years, with the most recent complaints filed in February 2025 and December 2024, both involving the entire building. While HPD conducted inspections in December 2024 that found no violations, the February 2025 inspection was unable to gain access to apartments for verification. The building has a documented history of heat and hot water problems, particularly concentrated in 2018, when multiple complaints were filed between October and December, resulting in several violations being issued.

Notably, in December 2018, significant violations were recorded in apartment 1F, including issues with fire egress (defective window guard), an illegal slide bolt on the entrance door, lack of hot water at all fixtures, and problems with the heating system access and carbon monoxide detector. The building has maintained current bedbug reporting compliance, with the most recent filings (2024, 2023, and 2022) showing zero infested or eradicated units. Historical records show proper rodent inspection compliance, with a passed inspection in 2015.

Regular inspections from 2021 to 2024 have focused primarily on bedbug reporting requirements, with four consecutive annual reports showing no infestations. A general intercom issue was recorded in November 2018, and an illegal work complaint was filed in 2020 that could not be verified due to lack of access. The building has multiple instances of HPD being unable to gain access during complaints, as noted in November and December 2018, and most recently in February 2025, which may indicate potential access coordination challenges.