1,531 recorded events, 1971–2026, from 13 city data systems. The city's paper trail here is mostly 630 HPD housing violations, 385 HPD complaints, 339 311 service requests.
Full record, year by year Support this site
A sustained record of distress well beyond its peers. More recorded distress than 99% of 6-24-unit residential buildings citywide. The citywide median for 6-24-unit residential buildings is 16.3 penalty points per 10 units; this building carries 879.2. In ZIP 10026, 38% of residential buildings hold an A and 13% grade D or F. How grades work
Among 46,798 6-24-unit residential buildings citywide · left is less recorded distress, right is more
| Open HPD violations | 361 total — 79 class C (immediately hazardous), 216 class B, 66 class A. Oldest open since 1982-12-14. |
| Alternative Enforcement | currently in HPD's worst-buildings program |
status snapshot refreshed weekly from HPD records
59 heat or hot-water complaints in the last three years (winter 2024–25: 37 · winter 2025–26: 20). Repeated winter clusters suggest a chronic heating problem.
No bedbug-infested units reported in the last three years of filings.
$50,000 in enforcement penalties imposed (ECB/OATH) in the last three years.
89 service requests in the last three years. Most common: HEAT/HOT WATER (23) · PLUMBING (14) · PAINT/PLASTER (10) · WATER LEAK (9) · DOOR/WINDOW (9) · UNSANITARY CONDITION (9).
$65,000 in permitted construction work filed since 2016 (4 filings with a declared cost) — a rough measure of how actively the owner maintains the building. Permit costs cover filed construction work only — they do not capture routine maintenance or repairs done without a permit.
| Yes | Built before 1974 (1888) |
| Yes | Six or more residential units (10) |
| No | 421-a / J-51 tax benefit on the current tax roll |
2 of 3 signals present. This is the classic profile of a rent-stabilized building (pre-1974, 6+ units) — many units in such buildings remain stabilized. The definitive answer for any unit: request its rent history from NYS Homes & Community Renewal (free, at hcr.ny.gov).
| Registered owner(s) | VICTOR HORSFORD REALTY CORP |
| Head officer | ROCKY S HORSFORD |
| Managing agent | ROCKY HORSFORD |
| Last registered | 2018-03-14 |
as filed by the owner in the building's HPD registration
| Tax year | City market value | Assessed value |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $892,000 | $401,400 |
| 2026 | $1,070,000 | $481,500 |
| 2027 | $1,143,000 | $514,350 |
The city's market estimate has risen 28% between tax years 2025 and 2027.
Not in the FEMA 1%-annual-chance floodplain (2015 preliminary maps).
Hurricane evacuation zone 6 of 6 — zone 1 evacuates first.
Not in the city's stormwater (cloudburst) flood maps under any modeled scenario.
1 street-flooding or sewer-backup complaints at this address since 2012 (0 in the last three years).
Sources: FEMA flood maps (coastal), NYC DEP Stormwater Flood Maps (cloudburst), NYC hurricane evacuation zones, and 311 records for this address.
| Subway | 116 St — 2 3 · 950 ft straight-line (about a 5-minute walk) · station accessibility: none |
| Bus | Nearest boarding stop: Malcolm X Blvd / W 119 St — M7 M102 · 200 ft |
| Citi Bike | Lenox Ave & W 121 St · 300 ft · station location as of 2026-09-23; live availability |
| Bike facility | Painted bike lane mapped within 75 ft |
| School zones (2024–25 map) | Elementary: P.S. 242 - The Young Diplomats Magnet Academy. Confirm with the DOE's school search. |
Distances are straight-line, not walking routes. Transit locations from the MTA and Citi Bike, bike facilities from NYC DOT, school zones from the DOE's 2024–25 maps.
197 Lenox Avenue
| Heat or hot water | Heat or hot water |
| Apartment maintenance | Apartment maintenance |
| Bed bugs | Bed bugs |
| Residential pests | Residential pests |
| Rats or mice | Rats or mice |
| Anything else | Anything else |
89 311 service requests from this address in the last three years — 23 of them about heat or hot water.
311 will ask for the address, the apartment if the problem is inside, and what's wrong. Contact details are optional for most complaints; food-poisoning reports can be anonymous. Complaints appear in the city's public 311 data, usually within a day or two, and then in the Live from 311 box on this page.
Most recent mortgage recorded against this lot: $135,000 on 2008-04-28 (lender: Nechadim Corp.), covering 2 lots — the amount covers all of them. Face amount at recording — it may have since been paid down, refinanced or satisfied. View the recorded document.
| Date | Record | Amount | Per res. unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-04-28 | Mortgage $135,000 — from VICTOR HORSFORD REALTY CORP.; HORSFORD, ROCKY to NECHADIM CORP. | $135,000 | |
| 2005-10-14 | Mortgage $1,000,000 — from VICTOR HORSFORD REALTY CORP. to SILVER HILL FINANCIAL, LLC | $1,000,000 | |
| 2005-10-14 | AL&R $1,000,000 — from VICTOR HORSFORD REALTY CORP. to SILVER HILL FINANCIAL, LLC | $1,000,000 | |
| 2005-02-14 | Mortgage $300,000 — from VICTOR HORSFORD REALTY CORP. to NECHADIM CORP. | $300,000 | |
| 2003-03-04 | Mortgage $445,000 — from HORSFORD, ROCKY to ABN AMRO MORTGAGE GROUP, INC | $445,000 |
| Year | Construction | Enforcement | Housing & tenants | Ownership & money | Health & systems | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 0 | 3 | 38 | 1 | 1 | 43 |
| 2018 | 0 | 1 | 62 | 1 | 2 | 66 |
| 2019 | 0 | 1 | 97 | 1 | 2 | 101 |
| 2020 | 6 | 0 | 61 | 1 | 0 | 68 |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 345 | 1 | 0 | 346 |
| 2022 | 0 | 2 | 46 | 0 | 1 | 49 |
| 2023 | 0 | 2 | 101 | 1 | 2 | 106 |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 63 | 0 | 3 | 66 |
| 2025 | 0 | 3 | 153 | 0 | 3 | 159 |
| 2026 | 0 | 8 | 97 | 0 | 1 | 106 |
Every one of the 1,531 recorded events, 1971–2026, is laid out year by year in the full report (print-ready).
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