171 Hester Street

Manhattan, NY

BBL 1-00238-0038BIN 1083322

Concern level3 of 4

High

012 open class-C HPD violations (immediately hazardous) — about 1 per 12 apartments
021 of those issued in the last 3 years
031 open rent-impairing violation(s)
042 active DOB violation(s)
054 DOB fines lost by default (unpaid)

How this is set: open hazardous violations measured against the building's size, then raised by strong distress signals — HPD's enforcement program, court harassment findings, recent evictions, unpaid DOB fines, open housing-court cases, and a sold tax lien. Neighborhood noise and crime are not part of it. It describes the public record, not the condition of any one apartment, and a quiet record is not proof of a good building.

Rent regulation

Likely rent-stabilized

The owner registered 14 stabilized units with New York State for 2023 — of about 24 apartments.

2018 — 16 units registered2023 — 14

No public data says which specific apartment is stabilized.

Registration counts apply to the building, not to unit numbers. To confirm your own apartment, request your rent history from New York State Homes and Community Renewal — it is free and takes a few weeks.

How to request your rent history →

Rent regulation

The building

1900

Built

Floors

Residential units

Walk-up apartments

Type

The building

This building and the landlord's others

This building

HPD housing-maintenance violations

Open now

On record

Open Class C

Open Class B

Open Class A

Class C is immediately hazardous, Class B is hazardous, Class A is non-hazardous. A violation stays open until HPD certifies the repair, so some open items may already be fixed.

CLASS C · IMMEDIATELY HAZARDOUSApt 5FIssued 2026-02-02RENT-IMPAIRING

§ 27-2024 ADM CODE PROVIDE ADEQUATE SUPPLY OF HOT WATER FOR THE FIXTURES THROUGHOUT IN THE ENTIRE APARTMENT LOCATED AT APT 5F, 4th STORY, 1st APARTMENT FROM WEST AT NORTH

Status: Notice issued, not yet certified

CLASS C · IMMEDIATELY HAZARDOUSIssued 2013-03-085+ YRS OLD

SECTION 27-2033 ADM CODE PROVIDE READY ACCESS TO BUILDINGS HEATING SYSTEM DOOR LOCKED AT BOILER ROOM

Status: Notice issued, not yet certified

CLASS B · HAZARDOUSApt 8FIssued 2016-12-055+ YRS OLD

§ 27-2005 ADM CODE REPLACE WITH NEW THE BROKEN OR DEFECTIVE LEAKING AIR VENT AT RADIATOR AT SOUTH WALL IN THE KITCHEN LOCATED AT APT 8F, 5th STORY, 1st APARTMENT FROM EAST AT SOUTH

Status: Certified late

CLASS B · HAZARDOUSApt 8FIssued 2016-12-055+ YRS OLD

§ 27-2005 ADM CODE REPLACE WITH NEW THE BROKEN OR DEFECTIVE LEAKING AIR VENT AT RADIATOR AT SOUTH WALL IN THE 1st ROOM FROM EAST AT SOUTH LOCATED AT APT 8F, 5th STORY, 1st APARTMENT FROM EAST AT SOUTH

Status: Certified late

HPD housing-maintenance violations

311 complaints from tenants

All time

Last 12 months

Heat/Hot Water3

Heat/Hot WaterApartment Only2026-01-30 · closed

Heat/Hot WaterApartment Only2026-01-26 · closed

Heat/Hot WaterApartment Only2025-01-24 · closed

Complaints record what a tenant reported, not a finding by the city. "Closed" often means the inspector could not gain access.

311 complaints from tenants

Neighborhood noise

Much higher than averagevs. NYC apartment blocks

1124

Noise reports · last 12 mo

≈ per month

% from neighbors

Commercial376

Street/Sidewalk319

Residential247

Unspecified139

Vehicle36

Park4

Helicopter3

311 noise complaints within about 1,000 ft (a few blocks) in the last year. Most reports here are about outdoor noise (mostly commercial) — street life and traffic more than neighbors. This counts how often people call 311, which tracks how densely populated and busy an area is as much as how loud it is — it is not a sound measurement.

Neighborhood noise

Neighborhood crime

Much higher than averagevs. NYC apartment blocks

801

NYPD reports · last 12 mo

≈ per month

Felony360

Misdemeanor365

Violation76

NYPD complaints reported within about 1,000 ft (a few blocks) in the last year, by severity. This reflects what gets reported and where police are active as much as actual safety, and busier, denser, higher-foot-traffic blocks log more. Locations are approximate — the NYPD shifts each report to the nearest corner for privacy — so read this as rough context, not a safety score.

Neighborhood crime

Bedbug history

No bedbugs reported

The owner filed 13 annual bedbug reports and reported no infested units. Filing with zero infestations is the compliant, reassuring case.

Bedbug history

DOB building violations

Active

On record

Active, last 3 yrs

ACTIVE · LBLVIO-LOW PRESSURE BOILER BOILER REQUIRED2017-02-24

VIOLATION ISSUED FOR FAILURE TO FILE ANNUAL BOILER 2015 INSPECTION REPORT

ACTIVE · LBLVIO-LOW PRESSURE BOILER BOILER REQUIRED2015-10-01

VIOLATION ISSUED FOR FAILURE TO FILE ANNUAL BOILER 2014 INSPECTION REPORT

DOB building violations

Evictions

Executed, all time

Last 3 years

2018-10-02Apt 3Fresidential

Executed by a city marshal. An eviction can be lawful; a high or rising count is a displacement signal, not proof of wrongdoing.

Evictions

Housing court

Cases on record

Open now

Tenant-brought

Harassment found

With a judgment

Most cases are tenants taking the owner to court to force repairs. A case is not proof of wrongdoing; a harassment finding or judgment is a court ruling against the owner.

CLOSEDOpened 2017-05-25

Access Warrant - Non-Lead

Housing court

Landlord and related buildings

Registered owner

Kenneth Chiu

No other buildings found sharing this building's registered contact.

Landlord and related buildings

Unpaid city fines

Balance due (active)

Active violations

Lost by default

DOB violations adjudicated by OATH carry money penalties. "Lost by default" means the owner never appeared at the hearing. An unpaid balance is a stronger "ignoring the city" signal than a raw violation count.

DEFAULTConstructionClass 22024-09-06$6,250 penalty

Unpaid city fines

Ownership & money

Recorded sales

Mortgages / refinances

Last recorded sale2014-12-17 · no recorded price

Sale2014-12-17no recorded price

CHI YUI CHIU REVOCABLE TRUST, CHI YUI CHIU (DECEASED), AS TRUSTEE, YEAN SIN LAM CHIU REVOCABLE TRUST, YEAN SIN LAM CHIU, AS TRUSTEE → KENNETH CHI WAI CHIU, AS COTRUSTEE, YEAN SIN LAM CHIU REVOCABLE TRUST, JOHN GEE MAN CHIU, AS COTRUSTEE, CHI YUI CHIU REVOCABLE TRUST, CHI YUI CHIU BY-PASS TRUST, YEAN SIN LAM CHIU, AS COTRUSTEE

Sale1996-05-08no recorded price

CHIU, LAM YEAN SIN, CHIU, CHI YUI → CHIU, YEAN SIN LAM REVOCABLE TRUST 5/8/96, CHIU, YEAN SIN LAM TRUSTEE, CHIU, CHI YUI TRUSTEE

From ACRIS recorded documents. Amounts are often $0 or nominal for transfers between related parties, and LLCs can obscure who is really involved — treat this as public-record context, not a valuation.

Ownership & money

City debt & tax-lien sale

Not on the city's tax-lien sale list (2019–2025). The owner has not fallen far enough behind on property tax or water charges to be flagged for a lien sale.

City debt & tax-lien sale