309 Knickerbocker Avenue

Brooklyn, NY

BBL 3-03220-0001BIN 3073199

Concern level4 of 4

Severe

0119 open class-C HPD violations (immediately hazardous) across 6 apartments
021 open rent-impairing violation(s)
032 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 2018 — essentially all of the building's 6 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

1931

Built

Floors

Residential units

Mixed residential / commercial

Type

The building

This building and the landlord's others

This building

HPD housing-maintenance violations

Open now

109

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

SECTION 27-2142 ADM CODE APTS HAVE BEEN VACATED BY THIS DEPARTMENT AND CANNOT BE REOCCUPIED UNTIL SO ORDERED AFTER PROOF OF COMPLIANCE FOR APTS EAST 4 ROOM AT APT.4R......

Status: Landlord hasn't certified a fix

CLASS I · NON-HAZARDOUS

§27-2107 ADM CODE OWNER FAILED TO FILE A VALID REGISTRATION STATEMENT WITH THE DEPARTMENT AS REQUIRED BY ADM CODE §27-2097 AND IS THEREFORE SUBJECT TO CIVIL PENALTIES, PROHIBITED FROM CERTIFYING VIOLATIONS, AND DENIED THE RIGHT TO RECOVER POSSESSION OF PREMISES FOR NONPAYMENT OF RENT UNTIL A VALID REGISTRATION STATEMENT IS FILED.

Status: Notice issued, not yet certified

CLASS C · IMMEDIATELY HAZARDOUSIssued 2020-12-245+ YRS OLD

§ 27-2033 ADM CODE PROVIDE READY ACCESS TO BUILDINGS HEATING SYSTEM DOOR LOCKED AT BASEMENT

Status: Notice issued, not yet certified

CLASS C · IMMEDIATELY HAZARDOUSApt 3RIssued 2020-12-245+ YRS OLD

§ 27-2037, 2038 HMC: PROVIDE A SAFE AND ADEQUATE SUPPLY OF ELECTRIC SERVICE TO THE FIXTURES .. IN THE ENTIRE APARTMENT LOCATED AT APT 3R, 3rd STORY, 2nd APARTMENT FROM NORTH AT EAST

Status: Notice issued, not yet certified

HPD housing-maintenance violations

311 complaints from tenants

All time

Last 12 months

Heat/Hot Water7

Electric4

Unsanitary Condition2

Paint/Plaster1

Water Leak1

Heat/Hot WaterApartment Only2025-12-17 · closed

Heat/Hot WaterEntire Building2025-10-30 · closed

Unsanitary ConditionMold2024-09-03 · 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

Much higher than averagevs. NYC apartment blocks

1802

Noise reports · last 12 mo

150

≈ per month

% from neighbors

Street/Sidewalk672

Residential514

Park237

Commercial184

Vehicle103

Unspecified91

House of Worship1

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

477

NYPD reports · last 12 mo

≈ per month

Felony154

Misdemeanor266

Violation57

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 annual bedbug report on file. Owners of buildings with three or more apartments must file one each year — its absence can mean a smaller building, or an owner that has not filed.

Bedbug history

DOB building violations

Active

On record

Active, last 3 yrs

ACTIVE · LBLVIO-LOW PRESSURE BOILER BOILER REQUIRED2025-11-14

VIOLATION ISSUED-FAILURE TO FILE 2024 EXTERNAL LOW PRESSURE INSPECTION

ACTIVE · LBLVIO-LOW PRESSURE BOILER BOILER REQUIRED2024-09-23

VIOLATION ISSUED-FAILURE TO FILE 2023 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 2014-02-28

Comp Supplemental Cases

CLOSEDOpened 2013-04-19

Comp Supplemental Cases

CLOSEDOpened 2012-08-10

Comprehensive

Housing court

Landlord and related buildings

Registered owner

HARTNICK ENTERPRISES INC

Head officer

SAM KAFIF

Managing agent

ALBERT KAFIF

No other buildings found sharing this building's registered contact.

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 sale1999-10-21 · no recorded price

Most recent mortgage2004-08-30 · $750,000

Mortgage2004-08-30$750,000

borrower HARTNICK ENTERPRISES, INC. · lender ASTORIA FEDERAL SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATION

Sale1999-10-21no recorded price

KOREA FIRST BANK OFNEW YORK AGENCY, LEE, JUNG KEUNG, SMALL, JOHN/DEF, NEW YORK CITY PARKING VIOLATION BUREAU/DEF, FONTI, MAUREEN P/REF → HARTNICK ENTERPRISESINC

Mortgage1997-10-21$1,100,000

borrower LEE, JUNG KEUN · lender COMMERCIAL CAPITAL CORPORATION

Mortgage1989-03-17$200,000

borrower LEE, JUNG JUEN · lender KOREA EXCHANGE BANK

Mortgage1987-08-11$300,000

borrower LEE, JUNG KUEN · lender KOREA EXCHANGE BANK

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 water and sewer 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 noticewater/sewer only2025-05-01

30-day noticewater/sewer only2025-04-01

60-day noticewater/sewer only2025-03-01

90-day noticewater/sewer only2025-02-01

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