2050 Gates Avenue, Queens, NY 11385

2050 Gates Avenue is a three-story, six-unit New Law tenement building located in Ridgewood, built in 1909 and currently owned by Hermann Kappel. The property has experienced a series of concerning maintenance issues in recent years, particularly in 2024. Most notably, there were multiple plumbing and water-related problems reported in July 2024, including heavy flow and slow leaks, for which Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) violations were issued.

Apartment 1L has been the focal point of numerous violations, with inspections in July and October 2024 revealing multiple issues including unsanitary conditions with a mouse infestation (later abated), water leak problems, and several code violations related to safety features such as missing window guards, defective self-closing doors, and absent smoke/carbon monoxide detectors. The apartment also presents structural concerns, including broken plastered surfaces and the presence of visible mold exceeding 10 square feet in the bathroom. The building's water and pest problems appear to be persistent, with HPD documenting both heavy flow and slow water leaks in mid-2024, as well as ongoing issues with pest control, as evidenced by both the 2024 complaints and previous rodent activity reports.

While the property has maintained a clean record regarding bedbugs over the past several years, with no reported infestations from 2019 through 2024, the recent water and pest issues suggest ongoing maintenance challenges. Historical records show a pattern of rodent activity at the property, with initial violations recorded in 2013, 2016, and 2021, though more recent inspections in 2021 resulted in passed compliance checks. The building's infrastructure and maintenance systems appear to require significant attention, particularly regarding water management and pest control, as evidenced by the multiple emergency plumbing complaints and the required safety feature installations in recent months.