1983 West 7th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11223

The two-story, four-unit building at 1983 West 7th Street in Gravesend, owned by Lai Chu, has experienced numerous maintenance issues over recent years, with the most pressing current concerns being repeated heat/hot water outages and cooking gas problems throughout the entire building between May and June 2025. These latest incidents mark a continuation of similar heat and hot water complaints recorded in 2020. The building underwent significant scrutiny in late 2019-2020, when multiple violations were issued regarding illegal gas installations and possible unauthorized unit conversions, particularly concerning basement-level modifications. This included violations for unauthorized gas piping, illegal installations of gas appliances, and allegedly maintaining more dwelling units than officially permitted, for which substantial fines were imposed and subsequently resolved.

The property has shown recurring issues with basic maintenance and living conditions, including multiple heat/hot water problems, cooking gas violations, and pest-related complaints. Notably, in early 2021, apartment 2R was found to have serious issues including mold, rodent, and insect infestations, while exterior maintenance violations were documented in urban waste management. More recent inspections have generally shown better compliance, with rodent inspections passing as of October 2024, and no bedbug infestations reported in recent filings. The building's history shows a pattern of emergency complaints requiring HPD intervention, particularly regarding essential services like heat/hot water and cooking gas, with the most recent cluster of violations suggesting ongoing infrastructure or maintenance challenges.

While some historical violations were dismissed in 2021, there remain questions about the building's current systems and maintenance practices based on the frequency of recent complaints. The property has maintained compliance with bedbug reporting requirements in recent years, showing zero infestations in the most recent reporting period (2022-2023). Recent housing maintenance code violations have been relatively minor, with the most recent being associated with heating and hot water issues in 2025. The building's ownership has made efforts to address past violations, as evidenced by the resolution of most Department of Buildings and ECB violations, though questions remain about the timely correction of certain issues. These recent complaints were officially classified as emergencies, necessitating prompt attention from property management and possibly involving violations that require correction within specified timelines.