What the record shows

Larry Hirschfield holds 82 buildings with a current record and 700 open violations between them. The weight is not even: 1078 Putnam Avenue accounts for 16% of it, while 31 of the 82 have nothing open at all. Tenants filed 1,954 complaints against these buildings in the last 12 months, spread across the portfolio rather than sitting in one address.

Where the buildings are 69 of the 82 buildings with a current record — 84% — are in Brooklyn, with the rest spread across two other boroughs. Manhattan accounts for 12; Bronx accounts for 1.

How the violations are distributed Open violations are not spread evenly across these buildings. 1078 Putnam Avenue alone carries 110 of them — 16% of everything open across the buildings with a current record — and seven buildings hold half of the total. Behind it sit 656 Stanley Avenue with 64 and 22 Mt Morris Park West with 49.

Violations per apartment Across 1,393 apartments the portfolio runs 0.50 open violations per unit. 21 buildings average at least one open violation for every apartment in them.

The split inside the portfolio 31 of the 82 buildings with a current record have nothing open against them today, while 51 do. Portfolio-level averages hide that split, which is why the list is worth reading one row at a time.

What tenants called in Tenants filed 1,954 complaints against these buildings in the last 12 months, or 1.40 per apartment. The heaviest was 509 West 135 Street with 164. Complaints and violations are separate records — a complaint that closed without an inspector getting inside leaves no violation behind it.

Age of the stock The median building here went up in 1912, and 72 of 82 predate 1960. Pre-1960 buildings carry lead-paint and window-guard obligations that newer stock does not, which shapes what turns up in an inspection.

How long things stay open The longest-standing open item in the portfolio is at 509 West 135 Street and has been open 4.0 years. An old open violation is not a paperwork lag — it is a condition the city recorded and has not been shown to be corrected.

What has moved in the last two years 1,782 violations were written against these buildings in the last 24 months. 1,218 of them — 68% — have since been cleared, and 564 are still open. That ratio moves between city sweeps, which is why a standing total on its own says less than it looks like it does.

How buildings are linked: by HPD registration, deed, or a confirmed parent company. Being named as a head officer or managing agent is not the same as owning.

Larry Hirschfield

NYC landlord portfolio: 82 buildings we track, with violations, complaints and repair history for each.

Adding violation and complaint figures…