139 Howard Avenue

Brooklyn, NY

BBL 3-01497-0001BIN 3040134

Concern level4 of 4

Severe

01On HPD's Alternative Enforcement Program — the city's most-distressed-buildings list
0218 open class-C HPD violations (immediately hazardous) across 6 apartments
033 of those issued in the last 3 years
046 open rent-impairing violation(s)
0510 active DOB violation(s)
06Tax lien sold at the city's lien sale — a sign of financial distress
074 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.

HPD enforcement

On the Alternative Enforcement Program

HPD placed this building in its Alternative Enforcement Program (AEP Round 19), active since 2026-02-02. AEP is the city's response to its most distressed buildings — it had 87 open B/C violations at selection.

Rent regulation

Likely rent-stabilized

The owner registered 6 stabilized units with New York State for 2019 — essentially all of the building's 6 apartments.

2018 — 6 units registered2019 — 6

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

1905

Built

Floors

Residential units

Walk-up apartments

Type

The building

This building and the landlord's others

This building9 others linked to the same owner

HPD housing-maintenance violations

Open now

117

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 I · NON-HAZARDOUS

§27-2153 ADM CODE THE PREMISES HAS BEEN SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ALTERNATIVE ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM WHICH MAY RESULT IN BUILDING-WIDE INSPECTIONS, FEES, AND EXTENSIVE REPAIR WORK TO CORRECT VIOLATIONS AND UNDERLYING CONDITIONS. CHARGES FOR REPAIR WORK DONE PURSUANT TO THIS ORDER, IF NOT PAID, WILL BECOME LIENS ON THE PROPERTY

Status: Notice issued, not yet certified

CLASS C · IMMEDIATELY HAZARDOUSIssued 2026-05-01

§ 27-2005 HMC: PROPERLY REPAIR OR REPLACE THE BROKEN OR DEFECTIVE GLASS PANE AT SKY LIGHT OVER PUBLIC HALL STAIRS AT ROOF

Status: Landlord hasn't certified a fix

CLASS C · IMMEDIATELY HAZARDOUSIssued 2026-02-23

§ 27-2005 ADM CODE PROPERLY REPAIR WITH SIMILAR MATERIAL THE BROKEN OR DEFECTIVE PARAPETT WALL AT FRONT OF BUILDING AT PUBLIC HALL

Status: Landlord hasn't certified a fix

CLASS C · IMMEDIATELY HAZARDOUSIssued 2026-02-23

§ 27-2005 ADM CODE PROPERLY REPAIR WITH SIMILAR MATERIAL THE BROKEN OR DEFECTIVE CORNICE AT BUILDING FRONT AT PUBLIC HALL

Status: Landlord hasn't certified a fix

HPD housing-maintenance violations

311 complaints from tenants

All time

Last 12 months

Heat/Hot Water4

General3

Unsanitary Condition1

Water Leak1

Unsanitary ConditionGarbage/Recycling Storage2023-07-04 · closed

Heat/Hot WaterEntire Building2023-07-04 · closed

Heat/Hot WaterEntire Building2023-06-05 · 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

About averagevs. NYC apartment blocks

323

Noise reports · last 12 mo

≈ per month

% from neighbors

Residential149

Street/Sidewalk99

Unspecified45

Vehicle13

Commercial10

Park7

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

About averagevs. NYC apartment blocks

215

NYPD reports · last 12 mo

≈ per month

Felony83

Misdemeanor105

Violation27

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 3 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 · C-CONSTRUCTION OTHER OPTIONAL2026-08-31

FAILURE TO MAINTAIN BUILDING IN A CODE COMPLIANT MANNER.NOTED AT THE T IME OF INSPECTION,I OBSERVED AT EXP1,DAMAGED ROOF CORNICE AND OPEN/EXP OSED MASONRY.AT EXP2,CRACK ON STONE AND MASONRY OBSERVED AT FIRST FL.A T EXP3,CRACK/STEP CRACK AND SPALLING STUCCO OBSERVED ON MULTIPLE LOCAT IONS.REMEDY:REPAIR AND/OR REPLACE

ACTIVE · C-CONSTRUCTION OTHER OPTIONAL2025-11-10

EMERGENCY WORK ORDER DUE TO BROKEN FIRE ESCAPE TREAD AT EXPOSURE #3 NORTH ELEVATION AT FIRST FLOOR. REMEDY: IMMEDIATELY REPAIR BROKEN FIRE ESCAPE TREAD UNDER DIRECTION OF A LICENSED PROFESSIONAL

ACTIVE · C-CONSTRUCTION OTHER OPTIONAL2025-11-10

FAILURE TO MAINTAIN BUILDING IN CODE COMPLIANT MANNER. NOTE: AT THE TIME OF INSPECTION AT EXPOSURE 1 DAMAGED ROOF CORNICE AND BROKEN WINDOW PANE AT 2FL. EXP 2 CRACK STONE AT FIRST FLOOR EXP3, CRACK STUCCO IN WINDOW LINE. REMEDY: REPAIR AND/OR REPLACE

DOB building violations

Evictions

No executed evictions on record for this building.

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 2023-10-16

Tenant action

CLOSEDOpened 2023-09-18

Tenant action

CLOSEDOpened 2022-11-15

Tenant action

CLOSEDOpened 2022-10-11

Tenant action

Housing court

Landlord and related buildings

Registered owner

HOWARD AVENUE DEVELOPMENT, LP

Head officer

DARREN PEARSON

Managing agent

HOWARD AVENUE DEVELOPMENT LP

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

1058 PUTNAM AVENUEBROOKLYN 447 BAINBRIDGE STREETBROOKLYN 50 HOWARD AVENUEBROOKLYN 843 HALSEY STREETBROOKLYN 86 SARATOGA AVENUEBROOKLYN

Landlord and related buildings

Unpaid city fines

$64,890

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.

ConstructionClass 12026-08-31$2,500 due

ConstructionClass 12026-08-20$25,000 due

DEFAULTConstructionClass 12026-07-08$10,030 due

DEFAULTConstructionClass 22025-12-17$1,280 due

Unpaid city fines

Ownership & money

Recorded sales

Mortgages / refinances

Last recorded sale1999-12-20 · no recorded price

Most recent mortgage2002-12-17 · $4,613,920

Mortgage2002-12-17$4,613,920

borrower HOWARD AVENUE DEVELOPMENT L.P. · lender THE CITY OF NEW YORK, ACTING BY AND THROUGH ITS

Mortgage2000-07-17$3,127,966

borrower NEIGHBORHOOD PARTNERSHIP HOUSING DVLPMNT FUND CO, DK REAL ESTATE L.L.C. · lender CHASE MANHATTAN BANK

Mortgage2000-07-17$514,735

borrower DK REAL ESTATE LLC, NEIGHBORHOOD PARTNERSHIP HOUSING DEVELOPMENT FUND · lender CHASE MANHATTAN BANK

Mortgage2000-07-17$514,735

borrower DK REAL ESTATE LLC, NEIGHBORHOOD PARTNERSHIP HOUSING DEVELOPMENT FUND · lender CHASE MANHATTAN BANK

Mortgage2000-07-17$3,163,693

borrower NEIGBORHOOD PARTNERSHIP HOUSING DEVELOPMENT FUND C · lender THE CHASE MANHATTANBANK

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

The lien was sold in the 2025 tax-lien sale

The owner's unpaid property taxes (and possibly water charges) went unresolved through a series of notices, and the debt reached the city's Final Sale list — the lien was sold to a private collector who can add interest and fees.

Years listed

2025

Most recent

Final saleincl. property tax2025-06-01

10-day noticeincl. property tax2025-05-01

30-day noticeincl. property tax2025-04-01

60-day noticeincl. property tax2025-03-01

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