410 recorded events, 1981–2026, from 12 city data systems. The city's paper trail here is mostly 191 HPD housing violations, 100 HPD complaints, 69 311 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 1-5-unit residential buildings citywide. The citywide median for 1-5-unit residential buildings is 0 penalty points per 10 units; this building carries 824. In ZIP 11212, 56% of residential buildings hold an A and 14% grade D or F. How grades work
Among 699,345 1-5-unit residential buildings citywide · left is less recorded distress, right is more
| Open HPD violations | 30 total — 10 class C (immediately hazardous), 16 class B, 4 class A. Oldest open since 2023-05-05. |
status snapshot refreshed weekly from HPD records
4 heat or hot-water complaints in the last three years (winter 2023–24: 4).
No bedbug-infested units reported in the last three years of filings.
$500 in enforcement penalties imposed (ECB/OATH) in the last three years.
22 service requests in the last three years. Most common: WATER LEAK (4) · PAINT/PLASTER (4) · UNSANITARY CONDITION (3) · Indoor Air Quality (2) · HEAT/HOT WATER (2) · Building/Use (2).
No permitted work with a declared cost filed in the last decade. Permit costs cover filed construction work only — they do not capture routine maintenance or repairs done without a permit.
| Yes | Built before 1974 (1930) |
| No | Six or more residential units (4) |
| No | 421-a / J-51 tax benefit on the current tax roll |
1 of 3 signals present. Only a partial profile — stabilization is possible but less likely. The definitive answer for any unit: request its rent history from NYS Homes & Community Renewal (free, at hcr.ny.gov).
| Registered owner(s) | John Hinds LLC |
| Head officer | John Hinds |
| Managing agent | Williamsburg Property Management LLC |
| Last registered | 2025-11-13 |
as filed by the owner in the building's HPD registration
| Tax year | City market value | Assessed value |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $306,000 | $137,700 |
| 2026 | $367,000 | $165,150 |
| 2027 | $409,000 | $184,050 |
The city's market estimate has risen 34% between tax years 2025 and 2027.
Not in the FEMA 1%-annual-chance floodplain (2015 preliminary maps).
Hurricane evacuation zone 5 of 6 — zone 1 evacuates first.
Not in the city's stormwater (cloudburst) flood maps under any modeled scenario.
No street-flooding or sewer-backup complaints on record at this address.
Sources: FEMA flood maps (coastal), NYC DEP Stormwater Flood Maps (cloudburst), NYC hurricane evacuation zones, and 311 records for this address.
| Subway | Rockaway Av — 3 · 0.3 mi straight-line (about a 7-minute walk) · station accessibility: none |
| Bus | Nearest boarding stop: Rockaway Av / Lott Av — B60 · 200 ft |
| Citi Bike | Lott Ave & Rockaway Ave · 250 ft · station location as of 2026-09-23; live availability |
| School zones (2024–25 map) | Elementary: Elementary schools in this district are not zoned. 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.
539 Chester 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 |
22 311 service requests from this address in the last three years — 2 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 WILLIAMSBURG PROPERTY MANAGEMENT — 117 buildings, 1,251 units. Grades across the portfolio: A38 · B25 · C14 · D25 · F15. See the whole portfolio
showing 60 of 117 buildings
Most recent mortgage recorded against this lot: $35,000 on 2007-11-01 (recorded via MERS, the industry registry; the lender is not named on the record). Face amount at recording — it may have since been paid down, refinanced or satisfied. View the recorded document.
| Date | Record | Amount | Per res. unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-12-15 | Deed $40,000 — from HINDS, JOHN to 539 CHESTER LLC | $40,000 | |
| 2017-03-27 | Sold for $40,000 | $40,000 | $10,000 |
| 2007-11-01 | Mortgage $35,000 — from HINDS, JOHN to MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS | $35,000 | |
| 2007-07-31 | Mortgage $52,264 — from HINDS, JOHN to MERS | $52,264 | |
| 2007-07-31 | Agreement $483,200 — from HINDS, JOHN to MERS | $483,200 | |
| 2005-01-12 | Mortgage $388,000 — from HINDS, JOHN to MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS | $388,000 | |
| 2001-11-07 | Mortgage $314,600 — from HIND, JOHN to MORTGAGE ELECTRONICREGISTRATION SYSTEMS ; SIB MORTGAGE CORP | $314,600 |
| Year | Enforcement | Housing & tenants | Ownership & money | Health & systems | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 1 | 66 | 3 | 0 | 70 |
| 2018 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| 2019 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 15 |
| 2020 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| 2021 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2022 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 2023 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 0 | 42 |
| 2024 | 1 | 94 | 0 | 0 | 95 |
| 2025 | 2 | 30 | 0 | 3 | 35 |
| 2026 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Every one of the 410 recorded events, 1981–2026, is laid out year by year in the full report (print-ready).
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