56 Ft Washington Avenue

Manhattan, NY

BBL 1-02137-0052BIN 1063359

Concern level2 of 4

Moderate

012 active DOB violation(s)
0210 open HPD violation(s)
031 eviction executed in the last 3 years

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 28 stabilized units with New York State for 2018 — of about 42 apartments.

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

1915

Built

Floors

Residential units

Elevator apartments

Type

Energy-efficiency grade

Grade B — above average

ENERGY STAR score 72 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 building12 others linked to the same owner

HPD housing-maintenance violations

Open now

547

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 41Issued 2026-06-29

§ 27-2017.3 HMC: TRACE AND REPAIR THE SOURCE AND ABATE THE VISIBLE MOLD CONDITION... LESS THAN 10 SQ FT AT CEILING, NORTH AND EAST WALLS IN THE BATHROOM LOCATED AT APT 41, 4th STORY, 2nd APARTMENT FROM SOUTH AT WEST ORIGINAL VIOLATION 18669515 ISSUED 26-FEB-26 HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO CLASS B PER ADMINISTRATIVE CODE 27-2017.3a(3)(a) or (b).

Status: Notice issued, not yet certified

CLASS B · HAZARDOUSApt 45Issued 2025-09-19

§ 27-2017.3 HMC: TRACE AND REPAIR THE SOURCE AND ABATE THE VISIBLE MOLD CONDITION... GREATER THAN 10 SQUARE FEET AT CEILING AND EAST AND SOUTH WALLS IN THE BATHROOM LOCATED AT APT 45, 4th STORY, 3rd APARTMENT FROM NORTH AT EAST

Status: HPD couldn't get in to re-inspect

CLASS B · HAZARDOUSApt 21Issued 2025-07-14

§ 27-2005 HMC: PROPERLY REPAIR OR REPLACE THE BROKEN OR DEFECTIVE SPRING BALANCE AT LOWER WINDOW SASH AT SOUTH WALL IN THE 1st ROOM FROM EAST LOCATED AT APT 21, 2nd STORY, 2nd APARTMENT FROM SOUTH AT WEST

Status: Certification rejected by HPD

CLASS B · HAZARDOUSApt 21Issued 2025-07-14

§ 27-2005 HMC: PROPERLY REPAIR OR REPLACE THE BROKEN OR DEFECTIVE SPRING BALANCE AT LOWER SASH OF WINDOW AT SOUTH WALL IN THE 1st BATHROOM FROM EAST LOCATED AT APT 21, 2nd STORY, 2nd APARTMENT FROM SOUTH AT WEST

Status: Certification rejected by HPD

HPD housing-maintenance violations

311 complaints from tenants

363

All time

Last 12 months

Heat/Hot Water187

Paint/Plaster49

Unsanitary Condition42

Door/Window20

Water Leak18

Electric13

Plumbing13

Flooring/Stairs12

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

2610

Noise reports · last 12 mo

218

≈ per month

% from neighbors

Street/Sidewalk1429

Residential604

Vehicle365

Commercial111

Unspecified100

Helicopter1

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

597

NYPD reports · last 12 mo

≈ per month

Felony216

Misdemeanor291

Violation90

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 7 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 · P-PLUMBING NONE2020-03-18

THE BOROUGH COMMISSIONER INTENDS TO REVOKE ALL PLUMBING APPROVALS AND PERMIT IN CONNECTION WITH JOB #140855750 DUE TO REVOCATION OF LICENSE MASTER PLUMBER #1762 , ALL PLUMBING WORK IN CONNECTION WITH ABOVE MENTIONED PERMIT HAS ORDERED STOPPED IMMEDIATELY.

ACTIVE · E-ELEVATOR ELEVATORREQUIRED1991-04-24

DEVICE #1P10479

DOB building violations

Evictions

Executed, all time

Last 3 years

2026-07-20Apt 66residential

2023-02-07Apt 5residential

2018-03-01Apt 52residential

2017-05-23Apt 61residential

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 2022-08-15

Comprehensive

CLOSEDOpened 2022-06-10

Access Warrant - Non-Lead

CLOSEDOpened 2021-09-08

Tenant action

CLOSEDOpened 2013-10-01

Access Warrant - Non-Lead

Housing court

Landlord and related buildings

Registered owner

FORT WASHINGTON ESTATES LLC

Head officer

JOSEPH FESSEL

Managing agent

FORT WASHINGTON ESTATES LLC

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

1789 MONROE AVENUEBRONX 1790 WEEKS AVENUEBRONX 1970 WALTON AVENUEBRONX 25 FT WASHINGTON AVENUEMANHATTAN 2600 CRESTON AVENUEBRONX

Landlord and related buildings

Unpaid city fines

$1,250

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.

ElevatorsClass 12024-12-20$1,250 due

Unpaid city fines

Ownership & money

Recorded sales

Mortgages / refinances

Last recorded sale2000-07-11 · no recorded price

Most recent mortgage2016-04-12 · $3,465,495.87

Mortgage2016-04-12$3,465,495.87

borrower FORT WASHINGTON ESTATES, LLC · lender NEW YORK COMMUNITY BANK

Mortgage2012-06-12$2,000,000

borrower FORTH WASHINGTON ESTATES, LLC · lender NEW YORK COMMUNITY BANK

Mortgage2005-01-13$186,585.79

borrower FORT WASHINGTON ESTATES, LLC · lender INDEPENDENCE COMMUNITY BANK

Mortgage2005-01-13$300,000

borrower FORT WASHINGTON ESTATES, LLC · lender INDEPENDENCE COMMUNITY BANK

Mortgage2002-03-15$667,193.65

borrower FORT WASHINGTON ESTATES, LLC · lender INDEPENDENCE COMMUNITY BANK, A BANKING CORP.

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