1016 Seneca Avenue, Queens, NY 11385

The 3-story, 6-unit tenement building at 1016 Seneca Avenue in Ridgewood, owned by Samuel Stein and constructed in 1931, has experienced several notable issues in recent years. Most alarmingly, in early 2025, the building faced multiple emergency complaints including water leaks with damp spots, lighting/electric problems, and smoke detector issues, though HPD inspectors were unable to gain access for proper evaluations. These complaints remain unresolved due to lack of response from the occupants.

The building's maintenance history shows recurring safety concerns, with a 2021 fire escape inspection resulting in no violations, and a significant rodent infestation incident in 2019 involving three separate complaints. The property has also faced serious compliance issues regarding unauthorized modifications, particularly in July 2022 when violations were issued for converting a permanent dwelling unit (Apartment 1L) into transient/furnished rooms without proper safety systems such as sprinklers and fire alarms. This resulted in several fines, though they appear to have been resolved.

More recently, from 2023-2024, there were violations for failing to file annual external low pressure inspections, though these were later dismissed. The building's bedbug reporting history from 2020-2025 shows zero infestations recorded during the past five reporting periods. While the property has passed several rodent inspections between 2011-2019, there were also multiple failures documented during this period, suggesting ongoing pest management challenges.