83-40 Austin Street, Queens, NY 11415

The 148-unit, six-story building at 83-40 Austin Street in Kew Gardens, currently owned by Leo Belchikov, has experienced persistent issues with heat and hot water systems throughout 2023-2025. During this period, there were multiple emergency complaints regarding heat/hot water problems, with most of them resulting in inspection access difficulties for the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). The building has also faced periodic pest issues, with two unsanitary condition complaints regarding pests in 2024 and 2025, though HPD was unable to gain access to conduct inspections in these instances. Recent inspections have revealed several safety concerns that affect resident safety.

Between late 2023 and 2024, Apartments 4J and 4L were found to have defective carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors, though these violations were generally addressed in a timely manner. The building has also had ongoing elevator-related issues, with complaints filed in 2023, 2024, and 2025, though these were investigated and found not to warrant violations. Fire safety concerns were noted in multiple inspections regarding self-closing doors, particularly in 2023, with violations recorded for stairway doors in the basement and 4th-story public hall. While the building has experienced periodic challenges, including some historical issues with bedbugs (2018-2021), recent bedbug reports for 2022-2024 show no current infestations.

The property has generally maintained compliance with rodent inspections, passing inspections in 2018 and showing no significant rodent activity since. Separate complaints regarding tenant safety inspections in 2020-2021 also yielded no violations, suggesting overall building systems were functioning properly during those times. The building's maintenance history indicates attention to major systems, with permits issued in mid-2020 for unspecified work, though specific details about the nature of this work are not provided in the available data. While there are recurring issues affecting resident comfort (notable during colder months), the property appears to have a system in place for addressing violations and management is responding to HPD inspections, even if access issues sometimes delay resolution confirmation.