527 West 121 Street

Manhattan, NY

BBL 1-01976-0010BIN 1059651

Concern level2 of 4

Moderate

013 active DOB violation(s)
0212 open HPD violation(s)

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 20 stabilized units with New York State for 2023 — of about 24 apartments.

2018 — 20 units registered2023 — 20

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

1926

Built

Floors

Residential units

Elevator apartments

Type

Energy-efficiency grade

Grade B — above average

ENERGY STAR score 81 of 100

Posted at the entrance of buildings over 25,000 sq ft (Local Law 33). It rates energy efficiency — a proxy for comfort and utility cost — not the landlord's upkeep.

The building

This building and the landlord's others

This building100 others linked to the same owner

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 B · HAZARDOUSApt 63Issued 2017-10-135+ YRS OLD

§ 27-2005 ADM CODE PROPERLY REPAIR WITH SIMILAR MATERIAL THE BROKEN OR DEFECTIVE VINYL FLOOR TILES IN THE KITCHEN LOCATED AT APT 63, 6th STORY

Status: Certification Postponment Denied

CLASS B · HAZARDOUSApt 63Issued 2017-10-135+ YRS OLD

§ 27-2005 ADM CODE REPAIR THE BROKEN OR DEFECTIVE PLASTERED SURFACES AND PAINT IN A UNIFORM COLOR AT CEILING IN THE FOYER LOCATED AT APT 63, 6th STORY, 1st APARTMENT FROM EAST AT SOUTH

Status: Certification Postponment Denied

CLASS B · HAZARDOUSApt 63Issued 2017-10-135+ YRS OLD

§ 27-2005 ADM CODE REPAIR THE BROKEN OR DEFECTIVE PLASTERED SURFACES AND PAINT IN A UNIFORM COLOR THE CEILINGS AND ALL WALLS THROUGH OUT IN THE ENTIRE APARTMENT LOCATED AT APT 63, 6th STORY, 1st APARTMENT FROM EAST AT SOUTH

Status: Certification Postponment Denied

CLASS B · HAZARDOUSApt 63Issued 2017-10-135+ YRS OLD

§ 27-2005 ADM CODE PROPERLY REPAIR THE BROKEN OR DEFECTIVE GLASS PANE IN LOWER WINDOW SASH IN THE 3rd ROOM FROM EAST AT SOUTH LOCATED AT APT 63, 6th STORY, 1st APARTMENT FROM EAST AT SOUTH

Status: Certification Postponment Denied

HPD housing-maintenance violations

311 complaints from tenants

All time

Last 12 months

Outside Building1

Outside BuildingPorch/Balcony2024-04-23 · 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

Lower than averagevs. NYC apartment blocks

155

Noise reports · last 12 mo

≈ per month

% from neighbors

Residential81

Street/Sidewalk26

Unspecified25

Vehicle11

Commercial6

Park4

Helicopter2

311 noise complaints within about 1,000 ft (a few blocks) in the last year. Most reports here are about noise from inside buildings — neighbors, not the street. 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

About averagevs. NYC apartment blocks

176

NYPD reports · last 12 mo

≈ per month

Felony63

Misdemeanor81

Violation32

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 5 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 REQUIRED2023-06-20

VIOLATION ISSUED-FAILURE TO FILE 2018 EXTERNAL LOW PRESSURE INSPECTION

ACTIVE · LBLVIO-LOW PRESSURE BOILER BOILER REQUIRED2023-06-20

VIOLATION ISSUED-FAILURE TO FILE 2019 EXTERNAL LOW PRESSURE INSPECTION

ACTIVE · LBLVIO-LOW PRESSURE BOILER BOILER REQUIRED2019-11-08

VIOLATION ISSUED FOR FAILURE TO FILE ANNUAL BOILER 2017 INSPECTION REPORT

DOB building violations

Evictions

No executed evictions on record for this building.

Evictions

Housing court

No HPD housing-court cases on record for this building.

Housing court

Landlord and related buildings

Registered owner

TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

Head officer

DAVID GREENBERG

Managing agent

DIEGO RIVERA

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

100 MORNINGSIDE DRIVEMANHATTAN 110 MORNINGSIDE DRIVEMANHATTAN 1124 AMSTERDAM AVENUEMANHATTAN 1129 AMSTERDAM AVENUEMANHATTAN 1181 AMSTERDAM AVENUEMANHATTAN

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.

Unpaid city fines

Ownership & money

Recorded sales

Mortgages / refinances

Last recorded sale1981-03-25 · no recorded price

Sale1981-03-25no recorded price

TEACHERS COLLEGE → COLUMBIA UNIV NYC TRSTS

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