18-44 Stephen Street, Queens, NY 11385

The 3-story, 6-unit New Law tenement building at 18-44 Stephen Street in Ridgewood, owned by Emerson Robles, has experienced multiple recurring building issues over the past several years, with the most pressing concerns being heat/hot water outages and plumbing problems. Most recently, in early 2024, there were two separate heat/hot water complaints affecting the entire building, including one on March 6 for which inspectors were unable to gain access to verify the reported condition. Between 2020 and 2024, the building has had at least six heat/hot water complaints, two plumbing issues (including a sink problem in December 2023), and multiple unsanitary condition reports.

The building experienced significant maintenance challenges in 2021, particularly in apartment 3R, where violations were issued for mold, pest infestations, and peeling paint. The property has undergone various inspections and compliance checks, with rodent inspections showing mixed results - passing in 2023 but failing in 2022. A pattern of pest-related complaints has been documented, with violations issued for pest problems in early 2020 and late 2019.

Notably, there were serious safety concerns addressed in December 2020 regarding emergency egress in apartment 1R, including issues with doors and locks that were subsequently resolved. The building has maintained an active bedbug reporting history since 2019, with no active infestations reported in the last four annual filings (most recent December 2024 report showed zero units affected). Compliance with bedbug reporting requirements appears to be current. An illegal conversion complaint was filed in April 2021, but inspectors were unable to gain access to complete the investigation.