198 Knickerbocker Avenue

Brooklyn, NY

BBL 3-03174-0029BIN 3072319

Concern level4 of 4

Severe

0112 open class-C HPD violations (immediately hazardous) across 5 apartments
022 of those issued in the last 3 years
032 open rent-impairing violation(s)
041 active DOB 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 6 stabilized units with New York State for 2019 — essentially all of the building's 5 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

1931

Built

Floors

Residential units

Mixed residential / commercial

Type

The building

This building and the landlord's others

This building1 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 C · IMMEDIATELY HAZARDOUSApt 3RIssued 2025-07-28

§ 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 IN THE ENTRANCE LOCATED AT APT 3R, 3rd STORY, 2nd APARTMENT FROM EAST AT SOUTH

Status: Notice issued, not yet certified

CLASS C · IMMEDIATELY HAZARDOUSApt 3RIssued 2025-07-28

HMC ADM CODE: § 27-2017.4 ABATE THE INFESTATION CONSISTING OF MICE IN THE ENTIRE APARTMENT LOCATED AT APT 3R, 3rd STORY, 2nd APARTMENT FROM EAST AT SOUTH

Status: Notice issued, not yet certified

CLASS C · IMMEDIATELY HAZARDOUSIssued 2023-09-25

§ 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 ... AT PUBLIC HALL, 1st STORY

Status: Notice issued, not yet certified

CLASS C · IMMEDIATELY HAZARDOUSApt 2RIssued 2022-11-29

§ 27-2005, 27-2007, 27-2041.1 HMC: REPLACE OR REPAIR THE SELF-CLOSING DOORS THAT IS MISSING OR DEFECTIVE IN THE ENTRANCE LOCATED AT APT 2R, 2nd STORY, 2nd APARTMENT FROM EAST AT SOUTH

Status: Notice issued, not yet certified

HPD housing-maintenance violations

311 complaints from tenants

All time

Last 12 months

Electric4

Door/Window2

Appliance2

Unsanitary Condition2

Heat/Hot Water1

Paint/Plaster1

Plumbing1

Flooring/Stairs1

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

1908

Noise reports · last 12 mo

159

≈ per month

% from neighbors

Street/Sidewalk628

Commercial505

Residential425

Park231

Unspecified69

Vehicle50

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

Higher than averagevs. NYC apartment blocks

285

NYPD reports · last 12 mo

≈ per month

Felony88

Misdemeanor150

Violation47

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

2023–20240 infested · 0 eradicated

2022–20230 infested · 0 eradicated

2021–20220 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 · LBLVIO-LOW PRESSURE BOILER BOILER REQUIRED2023-06-20

VIOLATION ISSUED-FAILURE TO FILE 2018 EXTERNAL LOW PRESSURE INSPECTION

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 2011-09-22

Comp Supplemental Cases

CLOSEDOpened 2010-09-09

Comprehensive

CLOSEDOpened 2010-07-29

Comp Supplemental Cases

CLOSEDOpened 2008-07-01

Comp Supplemental Cases

Housing court

Landlord and related buildings

Registered owner

198 KNICKERBOCKER AVE LLC

Head officer

CARMEN RODRIGUEZ

Managing agent

CARMEN RODRIGUEZ

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

193 KNICKERBOCKER 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.

Unpaid city fines

Ownership & money

Recorded sales

Mortgages / refinances

Last recorded sale2018-04-02 · no recorded price

Most recent mortgage2010-03-11 · $74,000

Sale2018-04-02no recorded price

RODRIGUEZ, CARMEN → 198 KNICKERBOCKER AVE LLC

Sale2010-03-11$100,000

MELENDEZ, DAVID → RODRIGUEZ, CARMEN

Mortgage2010-03-11$74,000

borrower RODRIGUEZ, CARMEN · lender MELENDEZ, DAVID

Sale1983-05-17no recorded price

COMMISSIONER OF FINANCE → NEW YORK CITY

Sale1974-11-01no recorded price

GARGANO CATERINA → MELENDEZ DAVID

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 property taxes (and possibly water 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 noticeincl. property tax2025-05-01

30-day noticeincl. property tax2025-04-01

60-day noticeincl. property tax2025-03-01

90-day noticeincl. property tax2025-02-01

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