542 Ocean Avenue

Brooklyn, NY

BBL 3-05099-0116BIN 3340608

Concern level4 of 4

Severe

01140 open class-C HPD violations (immediately hazardous) across 40 apartments
02131 of those issued in the last 3 years
0326 open rent-impairing 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.

HPD enforcement

Previously in HPD's Alternative Enforcement Program (AEP Round 14), discharged 2021-06-15.

Rent regulation

Likely rent-stabilized

The owner registered 40 stabilized units with New York State for 2023 — essentially all of the building's 40 apartments.

2018 — 40 units registered2023 — 40

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

1914

Built

Floors

Residential units

Walk-up apartments

Type

The building

This building and the landlord's others

This building7 others linked to the same owner

HPD housing-maintenance violations

339

Open now

1174

On record

140

Open Class C

108

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

§ 27-2142 ADM CODE APTS HAVE BEEN VACATED BY THIS DEPARTMENT AND CANNOT BE REOCCUPIED UNTIL SO ORDERED AFTER PROOF OF COMPLIANCE FOR APTS 4C , VACATE ORDER # 261157 IN THE ENTIRE APARTMENT LOCATED AT APT, 4th STORY, 1st APARTMENT FROM SOUTH AT WEST

Status: Notice issued, not yet certified

CLASS I · NON-HAZARDOUS

§ 27-2142 ADM CODE APTS HAVE BEEN VACATED BY THIS DEPARTMENT AND CANNOT BE REOCCUPIED UNTIL SO ORDERED AFTER PROOF OF COMPLIANCE FOR APTS 4A, VACATE ORDER # 261157 IN THE ENTIRE APARTMENT LOCATED AT APT, 4th STORY, 2nd APARTMENT FROM NORTH AT EAST

Status: Notice issued, not yet certified

CLASS I · NON-HAZARDOUS

§ 27-2142 ADM CODE APTS HAVE BEEN VACATED BY THIS DEPARTMENT AND CANNOT BE REOCCUPIED UNTIL SO ORDERED AFTER PROOF OF COMPLIANCE FOR APTS 3C , VACATE ORDER # 261157 IN THE ENTIRE APARTMENT LOCATED AT APT, 3rd STORY, 1st APARTMENT FROM SOUTH AT WEST

Status: Notice issued, not yet certified

CLASS C · IMMEDIATELY HAZARDOUS

§ 27-2005 ADM CODE & 309 M/D LAW ABATE THE NUISANCE CONSISTING OF CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL AND CHARCOAL UNDERNEATH STAIRS TO 2ND STORY AT PUBLIC HALL, 1st STORY, SECTION ''D-E''

HPD housing-maintenance violations

311 complaints from tenants

242

All time

Last 12 months

Unsanitary Condition50

Heat/Hot Water44

Paint/Plaster39

Plumbing25

Flooring/Stairs20

Appliance17

Water Leak15

Door/Window12

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

2157

Noise reports · last 12 mo

180

≈ per month

% from neighbors

Residential1620

Street/Sidewalk378

Vehicle78

Unspecified64

Commercial17

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

Much higher than averagevs. NYC apartment blocks

607

NYPD reports · last 12 mo

≈ per month

Felony183

Misdemeanor316

Violation108

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

Re-infestation reported

2024–20250 infested · 0 eradicated

2023–20240 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

No active DOB violations.

DOB building violations

Evictions

Executed, all time

Last 3 years

2018-03-12Apt 4-Iresidential

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 2025-08-11

Tenant action

CLOSEDOpened 2024-10-31

Harassment case

CLOSEDOpened 2019-06-27

Harassment case

CLOSEDOpened 2015-06-10

Tenant action

Housing court

Landlord and related buildings

Registered owner

Hartland Ocean LLC

Head officer

AJ kurland

Managing agent

Alejandro espinosa

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

1326 COMMONWEALTH AVENUEBRONX 2102 NEWKIRK AVENUEBROOKLYN 390 EAST 21 STREETBROOKLYN 620 EAST 17 STREETBROOKLYN 79 SUNNYSIDE 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

Speculation watch

·Changed hands in 2024 — new owners sometimes move to raise rents or deregulate units

A pattern, not a prediction — many transfers are ordinary or between related companies.

Recorded sales

Mortgages / refinances

Last recorded sale2024-11-04 · $4,250,000

Most recent mortgage2024-11-26 · $68,239.77

Mortgage2024-11-26$68,239.77

borrower HARTLAND OCEAN LLC · lender YJV CAPITAL LLC

Sale2024-11-04$4,250,000

OCEAN AVENUE ASSOCIATES LLC → HARTLAND OCEAN LLC

Mortgage2017-06-20$968,888.53

borrower OCEAN AVENUE ASSOCIATES LLC · lender JPMORGAN CHASE, N.A.

Mortgage2012-01-30$299,146.58

borrower OCEAN AVENUE ASSOCIATES · lender JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.

Mortgage2005-12-15$758,665.95

borrower OCEAN AVENUE ASSOCIATES LLC · lender WASHINGTON MUTUAL BANK, F.A.

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