2,748 recorded events, 1971–2026, from 19 city data systems. The city's paper trail here is mostly 841 HPD housing violations, 836 311 service requests, 701 HPD complaints.
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 1576.4. In ZIP 10032, 36% of residential buildings hold an A and 14% 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 | 339 total — 70 class C (immediately hazardous), 226 class B, 43 class A. Oldest open since 2018-07-21. |
| Pending HPD litigation | 1 case(s) pending in housing court |
status snapshot refreshed weekly from HPD records
75 heat or hot-water complaints in the last three years (winter 2023–24: 5 · winter 2025–26: 48). Repeated winter clusters suggest a chronic heating problem.
No bedbug-infested units reported in the last three years of filings.
$5,250 in enforcement penalties imposed (ECB/OATH) in the last three years.
395 service requests in the last three years. Most common: Noise (154) · HEAT/HOT WATER (34) · PAINT/PLASTER (32) · UNSANITARY CONDITION (29) · PLUMBING (25) · WATER LEAK (24).
$240,990 in permitted construction work filed since 2016 (9 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 (1913) |
| 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) | RH 536-538 W 159 STREET LP |
| Head officer | LESLIE BERKOFF |
| Managing agent | LANGSAM PROP. SER. CORP. |
| Last registered | 2025-01-21 |
as filed by the owner in the building's HPD registration
| Tax year | City market value | Assessed value |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $903,200 | $406,440 |
| 2026 | $723,000 | $325,350 |
| 2027 | $868,000 | $390,600 |
The city's market estimate has fallen 4% between tax years 2025 and 2027.
| Heating fuel | NATURALGAS |
Not in the FEMA 1%-annual-chance floodplain (2015 preliminary maps).
Not in a hurricane evacuation zone.
Not in the city's stormwater (cloudburst) flood maps under any modeled scenario.
1 street-flooding or sewer-backup complaints at this address since 2016 (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 | 157 St — 1 · 550 ft straight-line (about a 3-minute walk) · station accessibility: none 163 St-Amsterdam Av — C · 800 ft straight-line (about a 4-minute walk) · station accessibility: none |
| Bus | Nearest boarding stop: Broadway / W 159 St — M4 M5 · 350 ft |
| Citi Bike | Broadway & W 160 St · 450 ft · station location as of 2026-09-23; live availability |
| School zones (2024–25 map) | Elementary: P.S. 004 Duke Ellington Middle: Community Math & Science Prep. 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.
538 West 159 Street
| 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 |
395 311 service requests from this address in the last three years — 34 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.
Managed by LANGSAM PROPERTY SERVICES CORP — 215 buildings, 8,744 units. Grades across the portfolio: A42 · B80 · C57 · D26 · F9. See the whole portfolio
showing 60 of 215 buildings
Most recent mortgage recorded against this lot: $3,033,000 on 2016-12-29 (lender: Arbor Agency Lending, LLC), 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-02-10 | CORRM $3,033,000 to ARBOR AGENCY LENDING, LLC | $3,033,000 | |
| 2016-12-29 | Mortgage $3,033,000 — from RH 536-538 WEST 159 STREET LP to ARBOR AGENCY LENDING, LLC | $3,033,000 | |
| 2016-12-29 | Deed $5,355,000 — from CVRE 528-538 WEST 159TH ST. LLC to RH 536-538 WEST 159 STREET LP | $5,355,000 | |
| 2016-12-21 | Sold for $5,355,000 | $5,355,000 | $535,500 |
| 2014-07-29 | Deed $14,300,000 — from 528-538 159TH STREET LLC to CVRE 528-538 WEST 159TH ST. LLC | $14,300,000 | |
| 2014-07-29 | Mortgage $3,055,500 — from CVRE 528-538 WEST 159TH ST. LLC to INVESTORS BANK | $3,055,500 | |
| 2014-07-29 | AL&R $10,705,500 — from CVRE 528-538 WEST 159TH ST. LLC to INVESTORS BANK | $10,705,500 | |
| 2014-07-29 | Agreement $10,705,500 — from CVRE 528-538 WEST 159TH ST. LLC to INVESTORS BANK | $10,705,500 | |
| 2013-04-24 | Mortgage $7,650,000 — from 528-538 159TH STREET LLC to SIGNATURE BANK | $7,650,000 | |
| 2013-04-24 | AL&R $7,650,000 — from 528-538 159TH STREET LLC to SIGNATURE BANK | $7,650,000 | |
| 2012-01-06 | Deed $8,652,282 — from H HEIDEN LLC to 528-538 159TH STREET LLC | $8,652,282 | |
| 2008-05-21 | AL&R $966,000 — from H HEIDEN LLC to CAPITAL ONE, N.A. | $966,000 | |
| 2008-05-21 | Mortgage $966,000 — from H HEIDEN LLC to CAPITAL ONE, N.A. | $966,000 | |
| 2008-05-21 | AL&R $7,245,000 — from H HEIDEN LLC to CAPITAL ONE, N.A. | $7,245,000 | |
| 2008-05-21 | Agreement $7,245,000 — from H HEIDEN LLC to CAPITAL ONE, N.A. | $7,245,000 |
| Year | Construction | Enforcement | Housing & tenants | Ownership & money | Health & systems | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 2 | 9 | 29 | 3 | 8 | 51 |
| 2018 | 7 | 12 | 94 | 0 | 3 | 116 |
| 2019 | 0 | 11 | 43 | 0 | 1 | 55 |
| 2020 | 3 | 4 | 160 | 1 | 1 | 169 |
| 2021 | 3 | 6 | 87 | 0 | 1 | 97 |
| 2022 | 0 | 4 | 85 | 0 | 4 | 93 |
| 2023 | 0 | 5 | 304 | 0 | 3 | 312 |
| 2024 | 0 | 7 | 381 | 0 | 3 | 391 |
| 2025 | 0 | 5 | 295 | 2 | 2 | 304 |
| 2026 | 0 | 0 | 268 | 0 | 2 | 270 |
Every one of the 2,748 recorded events, 1971–2026, is laid out year by year in the full report (print-ready).
Explore: ZIP 10032 · Landlord rankings · How grades work · The map · The Mice Map