644 Lafayette Avenue

Brooklyn, NY

BBL 3-01789-0036BIN 3049955

Concern level4 of 4

Severe

016 open class-C HPD violations (immediately hazardous) across 8 apartments
023 of those issued in the last 3 years
032 open rent-impairing violation(s)
042 active DOB violation(s)
05Tax lien sold at the city's lien sale — a sign of financial distress

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

Previously in HPD's Alternative Enforcement Program (AEP Round 15), discharged 2022-03-25.

Rent regulation

Likely rent-stabilized

On the NYC DHCR 2024 registered rent-stabilized building list. This official list records the building, not a per-year unit count.

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

1931

Built

Floors

Residential units

Walk-up apartments

Type

The building

This building and the landlord's others

This building3 others linked to the same owner

HPD housing-maintenance violations

Open now

216

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 2024-04-05

§ 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 AT DOOR LEADING TO WEST YARD AT PUBLIC HALL, 1st STORY

Status: Notice issued, not yet certified

CLASS C · IMMEDIATELY HAZARDOUSIssued 2024-04-05

§ 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 DOOR AT VESTIBULE , 1st STORY

Status: Notice issued, not yet certified

CLASS C · IMMEDIATELY HAZARDOUSIssued 2024-04-05

§ 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 HINGES AT BULKHEAD DOOR AT PUBLIC HALL STAIRS, 4th STORY

Status: Notice issued, not yet certified

CLASS C · IMMEDIATELY HAZARDOUSIssued 2023-09-28

§ 27-2044 ADM CODE PROVIDE APPROVED ONE-HOUR FIRE RESISTANCE RATED SELF-CLOSING DOOR AT ALL OPENINGS TO PUBLIC HALL OTHER THAN APT MAIN ENTRANCE DOOR FROM VESTIBULE DOOR 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 Water27

Water Leak11

Flooring/Stairs7

Unsanitary Condition7

Plumbing7

Paint/Plaster5

Appliance3

Electric2

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

517

Noise reports · last 12 mo

≈ per month

% from neighbors

Residential332

Street/Sidewalk90

Unspecified40

Park33

Commercial18

Vehicle4

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

200

NYPD reports · last 12 mo

≈ per month

Felony56

Misdemeanor98

Violation46

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 6 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 · LL6291-LOCAL LAW 62/91 - BOILERS BOILER REQUIRED1993-08-16

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 2020-12-22

Heat / hot water

CLOSEDOpened 2020-03-02

Heat / hot water

CLOSEDOpened 2018-06-14

Access Warrant - Non-Lead

CLOSEDOpened 2018-01-23

Heat / hot water

Housing court

Landlord and related buildings

Registered owner

644 RES LLC

Head officer

Zalmen Horowitz

Managing agent

644 RES LLC

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

1425 BROADWAYBROOKLYN 2017 EAST 53 PLACEBROOKLYN 740 SUTTER AVENUEBROOKLYN

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.

ConstructionClass 12017-11-22$2,400 penalty

ConstructionClass 12017-08-15$4,000 penalty

BoilersClass 12017-08-15$1,000 penalty

ConstructionClass 12017-08-11$8,000 penalty

Unpaid city fines

Ownership & money

Recorded sales

Mortgages / refinances

Last recorded sale2004-11-04 · $675,000

Most recent mortgage2017-01-11 · $486,598.81

Mortgage2017-01-11$486,598.81

borrower 644 RES LLC · lender KEARNY BANK

Sale2004-11-04$675,000

644 LAFAYETTE, LLC → 644 RES, LLC

Mortgage2002-05-15$196,000

borrower 644 LAFAYETTE LLC · lender ASTORIA FEDERAL SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATION

Sale2001-11-29no recorded price

644 LAFAYETTE AVENUEINC → 644 LAFAYETTE LLC

Sale1999-01-07no recorded price

FREEMAN, MICHAEL/REFEREE → 644 LAFAYETTE AVENUEINC

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