215 Martense Street, Brooklyn, NY 11226

215 Martense Street is a 29-unit, 4-story New Law Tenement building constructed in 1925, currently owned by Carl Zekaria. The building has experienced a series of concerning maintenance issues in recent years, with the most significant cluster of problems occurring in early 2025. Between February and May 2025, multiple emergency heat and hot water complaints were logged and subsequently inspected by HPD, with violations issued.

During February 2025, several violations were recorded involving doors, windows, and various surfaces including walls, ceilings, and floors, all of which received HPD inspection and resulted in violations. Of particular note is an ongoing bedbug infestation issue, with the most recent bedbug report from December 2024 indicating 4 affected units, though all were reported as eradicated. The building's safety systems have also been a concern, with violations noted in late 2024 regarding defective smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in Apartment 1E, though these appear to have been resolved by November 2024.

The property underwent an inspection in November 2024 that revealed multiple violations in Apartment 1D, including issues with the kitchen floor under the gas range, wooden floor under the heat radiator, and sagging floor in the private hallway. Building-wide safety concerns were identified during this inspection, including a defective fire escape and broken metal tread on stairs, as well as defective self-closing doors at the fire door leading to the west court. While the building has passed rodent inspections in 2020 and 2014, a rat activity concern was noted during a 2014 initial inspection. The frequency and variety of maintenance issues, particularly in relation to basic services like heat and water, as well as the building's age, suggest ongoing challenges with property maintenance and resident comfort.