21 West 137 Street

Manhattan, NY

BBL 1-01735-0020BIN 1053908

Concern level4 of 4

Severe

0123 open class-C HPD violations (immediately hazardous) across 18 apartments
0214 of those issued in the last 3 years
036 open rent-impairing violation(s)
042 active DOB violation(s)
056 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 18 stabilized units with New York State for 2023 — essentially all of the building's 18 apartments.

2019 — 18 units registered2023 — 18

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

1920

Built

Floors

Residential units

Walk-up apartments

Type

The building

This building and the landlord's others

This building12 others linked to the same owner

HPD housing-maintenance violations

Open now

167

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 HAZARDOUSIssued 2026-09-21

§ 27-2005 HMC: PROPERLY REPAIR OR REPLACE THE BROKEN OR DEFECTIVE LOCKSET AT BUILDING ENTRANCE DOOR , 1st STORY

Status: Notice issued, not yet certified

CLASS C · IMMEDIATELY HAZARDOUSApt 1AIssued 2026-09-21

HMC ADM CODE: § 27-2017.4 ABATE THE INFESTATION CONSISTING OF ROACHES IN THE ENTIRE APARTMENT LOCATED AT APT 1A, 1st STORY, 1st APARTMENT FROM NORTH AT EAST

Status: Notice issued, not yet certified

CLASS C · IMMEDIATELY HAZARDOUSIssued 2026-07-16

§ 27-2005, 27-2007, 27-2041.1 HMC, §238, § 309; § 107 (2) ( C) MDL AND 28 RCNY §25-171: REPLACE OR REPAIR THE SELF-CLOSING DOORS THAT IS MISSING OR DEFECTIVE LATCH SET AT BUILDING ENTRANCE DOOR , 1st STORY

Status: Notice issued, not yet certified

CLASS C · IMMEDIATELY HAZARDOUSIssued 2026-06-17

§ 27-2005, 27-2007, 27-2041.1 HMC, §238, § 309; § 107 (2) ( C) MDL AND 28 RCNY §25-171: REPLACE OR REPAIR THE SELF-CLOSING DOORS THAT IS MISSING OR DEFECTIVE LATCHSET AT DOOR LEADING TO WEST YARD AT PUBLIC HALL, 1st STORY

Status: Landlord hasn't certified a fix

HPD housing-maintenance violations

311 complaints from tenants

All time

Last 12 months

Heat/Hot Water17

Water Leak6

Paint/Plaster5

Flooring/Stairs5

Electric3

Door/Window3

Plumbing2

Unsanitary Condition2

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

Higher than averagevs. NYC apartment blocks

665

Noise reports · last 12 mo

≈ per month

% from neighbors

Residential277

Unspecified164

Street/Sidewalk164

Vehicle31

House of Worship16

Commercial10

Park3

311 noise complaints within about 1,000 ft (a few blocks) in the last year. Most reports here are about outdoor noise (mostly residential) — 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

531

NYPD reports · last 12 mo

≈ per month

Felony146

Misdemeanor282

Violation103

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

Infested, latest filing

Annual filings

2024–20250 infested · 0 eradicated

2023–20240 infested · 0 eradicated

2022–20233 infested · 0 eradicated

Self-reported by the owner for the year ending each filing. Counts are building-wide and do not say which apartment was affected.

Bedbug history

DOB building violations

Active

On record

Active, last 3 yrs

ACTIVE · C-CONSTRUCTION OTHER OPTIONAL2025-08-01

FAILURE TO MAINTAIN BUILDING IN A CODE COMPLIANT MANNER. AT TIME OF INSPECTION OBSERVED AT FRONT OF BUILDING RETAINING WALL AT CELLAR STAIRWELL IS LEANING AND BULGING.

ACTIVE · LBLVIO-LOW PRESSURE BOILER BOILER REQUIRED2023-04-25

VIOLATION ISSUED-FAILURE TO FILE 2022 EXTERNAL LOW PRESSURE INSPECTION

DOB building violations

Evictions

Executed, all time

Last 3 years

2018-12-10Apt 4-Cresidential

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 2019-04-01

Heat / hot water

CLOSEDOpened 2017-11-06

Tenant action

CLOSEDOpened 2012-02-21

Heat / hot water

Housing court

Landlord and related buildings

Registered owner

WEST 137 STREET LP

Head officer

MALCOLM PUNTER

Managing agent

PRESTIGE MANAGEMENT

12 other buildings share this owner's registration contacts. Shared contacts suggest common control, but they are not proof of ownership.

15 WEST 137 STREETMANHATTAN 17 WEST 137 STREETMANHATTAN 19 WEST 137 STREETMANHATTAN 208 WEST 149 STREETMANHATTAN 209 WEST 147 STREETMANHATTAN

Landlord and related buildings

Unpaid city fines

$36,370

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 22026-07-27$1,280 due

DEFAULTConstructionClass 12026-07-27$2,530 due

DEFAULTConstructionClass 12025-09-12$6,280 due

Unpaid city fines

Ownership & money

Recorded sales

Mortgages / refinances

Last recorded sale2004-07-21 · no recorded price

Most recent mortgage2003-05-06 · $5,695,832

Sale2004-07-21no recorded price

HARLEM CONGREGATION FOR COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT INC. → WEST 137TH STREET, LP

Mortgage2003-05-06$5,695,832

borrower BUFNY III ASSOCIATES , L.P. · lender THE CITY OF NEW YORK- HPD

Sale1980-09-24no recorded price

COMMISSIONER FINANCENYC → CITY OF NEW YORK

Sale1979-09-04no recorded price

CHERRY, DONALD C → 21 WEST 137 ST RLTYCORP

Sale1978-11-30no recorded price

BASSETERRE REALTY INC → CHERRY, DONALD C

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

Flagged for the 2025 tax-lien sale

The owner owes enough in water and sewer charges to be listed for the city's tax-lien sale (most recently a 10-day notice). A listing can still be cured by paying or entering a payment plan.

Years listed

2025

Most recent

10-day noticewater/sewer only2025-05-01

30-day noticewater/sewer only2025-04-01

60-day noticewater/sewer only2025-03-01

90-day noticewater/sewer only2025-02-01

From DOF lien-sale lists (2019–2025). Financial distress is not proof of neglect, but owners behind on what they owe the city more often let repairs slide. Debt may since have been paid.

City debt & tax-lien sale