143-53 Barclay Avenue, Queens, NY 11355

143-53 Barclay Avenue is a 3-story, 36-unit residential building in Flushing, owned by Charlie Cheng and constructed in 1983. The property has experienced recurring heat and hot water issues, with emergency complaints documented in both 2020 (entire building) and 2022 (apartment-specific) that required HPD intervention and resulted in violations.

The building has also faced pest-related challenges, including unsanitary conditions related to pests reported in 2022 and multiple documented rat sightings in 2019 and 2020, with inspection results showing recorded rat activity in 2017 and 2019 before bait was applied. More recent concerns include several violations issued in March 2023 regarding the failure to file annual bedbug reports as required under Housing Maintenance Code, though subsequent filings show zero infested units. The building has had two illegal conversion complaints filed in 2021 and 2022, though inspections were unable to gain access for verification.

The property underwent significant remediation efforts following 2022 inspections, which identified multiple violations including a missing smoke detector in Apartment A2, inadequate hot water in the cellar apartment, and defective self-closing doors in the cellar entrance, all of which have since been addressed. While the building's bedbug status appears currently under control with no reported infestations in recent filings, the history of heating system issues and pest management challenges suggests ongoing maintenance oversight may be required. The building's age and documented maintenance history underscore the importance of continued monitoring of building systems and living conditions, particularly given the pattern of emergency heat and hot water complaints.