1487 East 37th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11234

The 41-unit, four-story New Law tenement at 1487 East 37th Street in Flatlands, built in 1925 and currently owned by Heshy Botknecht, has experienced persistent hot water and heating system issues. In early 2025 alone, there were at least nine documented complaints regarding building-wide heat and hot water problems between December 2024 and January 2025, with the situation being characterized as an emergency by the HPD. More recently, in June 2025, two additional heat and hot water complaints were filed and closed.

The building has documented violations related to life safety systems, including missing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in Apartment D11 and defective self-closing doors at various locations. The property has a history of maintenance challenges as evidenced by multiple Housing Maintenance Code violations. Most notably, there were serious issues with the boiler system in 2021, including oil leaks and other mechanical problems that resulted in a fine.

The building underwent inspections in 2020, 2017, and 2014, all of which passed rodent inspections. While there was one reported bedbug incident in 2023 involving one dwelling unit that was subsequently eradicated, there were no such incidents reported in 2019 or in previous years. The building's owner has faced two illegal conversion complaints, one in 2023 and another in 2021, though the latter inspection found no violations. Current open violations from July 2024 remain unresolved, including issues with a door lock preventing fire escape access and various plumbing problems in Apartment D3.