Maxwell-Kates
Managing agent — unlicensed in New York State
298 buildings. 1,316 Class C violations. No state license.
PORTFOLIO GEOGRAPHY
298 buildings.
THE PATTERN
Mid-range violation rate.
At 4.4 Class C violations per building, Maxwell-Kates falls near the industry average. The firm manages 298 buildings with 1,316 total Class C violations. Not the worst — but in an unregulated industry, average is not a defense.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR BUYERS
Considering a building managed by Maxwell-Kates?
Maxwell-Kates is one of the larger managing agents in our dataset, with 298 buildings spanning all five boroughs — including an unusual 19-building presence on Staten Island. Their 4.4 per-building rate looks moderate, but that average conceals extreme concentration: 143 West 140 Street (194 violations) and 151 West 140 Street (160 violations) together account for 354 of the firm's 1,316 total violations — over 25%. Two buildings on the same Harlem block hold more than a quarter of the firm's entire hazardous violation record.
This concentration pattern matters for buyers. If you are looking at a Maxwell-Kates building in a prime Manhattan neighborhood — the Upper West Side, the Village — the building-specific numbers may be clean. But Maxwell-Kates also manages a significant number of buildings in underserved neighborhoods (Harlem, Crown Heights, the South Bronx) where deferred maintenance is more common and capital reserves are thinner. The firm's willingness to manage both luxury and working-class buildings is not inherently a problem, but it raises the question of whether a single management approach can serve such different building types effectively.
Before purchasing in any Maxwell-Kates building, look beyond the firm-level average. Pull the building's specific HPD record. Ask the board when the last reserve fund study was conducted and whether they have ever had to levy a special assessment. For buildings in their outer-borough portfolio, ask specifically about staff retention and response times — indicators of whether the building is getting the operational attention it needs.
Look up your specific building in our Building Reports database.
See our guide on offering plan red flags.
Use our 10 questions checklist.
THE REGULATORY VOID
No license. No exam. No oversight.
Maxwell-Kates manages 298 buildings containing an estimated 18,000 units worth of residential real estate — and needs no state license to do so. In Florida, a Community Association Manager must pass a state exam, carry a bond, and complete continuing education. In New York, there is no equivalent requirement.
This means there is no government body you can complain to about Maxwell-Kates' management. No disciplinary board. No public complaint registry. No performance standards. The 1,316 Class C violations across their portfolio — conditions HPD classifies as immediately hazardous to life and health — trigger no regulatory consequence for the managing agent. A firm can manage nearly 300 buildings across every borough in the city and answer to no regulatory authority for how it does so.
COMPARE
How does Maxwell-Kates compare?
TOP 25 BUILDINGS
Ranked by Class C violations.
| # | Address | Borough | Class C |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 143 West 140 Street | Manhattan | 194 |
| 2 | 151 West 140 Street | Manhattan | 160 |
| 3 | 1067 Eastern Parkway | Brooklyn | 54 |
| 4 | 35-20 Leverich Street | Queens | 53 |
| 5 | 222 East 93 Street | Manhattan | 53 |
| 6 | 233 West 140 Street | Manhattan | 46 |
| 7 | 225 Eastern Parkway | Brooklyn | 40 |
| 8 | 839 West End Avenue | Manhattan | 36 |
| 9 | 1342 St Lawrence Avenue | Bronx | 35 |
| 10 | 90-11 35 Avenue | Queens | 34 |
| 11 | 310 West 99 Street | Manhattan | 32 |
| 12 | 227 West 140 Street | Manhattan | 32 |
| 13 | 755 West End Avenue | Manhattan | 28 |
| 14 | 228 West 141 Street | Manhattan | 25 |
| 15 | 100 West 92 Street | Manhattan | 24 |
| 16 | 113 West 96 Street | Manhattan | 20 |
| 17 | 652 10 Avenue | Manhattan | 20 |
| 18 | 382 Central Park West | Manhattan | 15 |
| 19 | 667 West End Avenue | Manhattan | 15 |
| 20 | 734 10 Avenue | Manhattan | 14 |
| 21 | 159 West 118 Street | Manhattan | 13 |
| 22 | 111 West 96 Street | Manhattan | 12 |
| 23 | 390 Maryland Avenue | Staten Island | 12 |
| 24 | 116 Perry Street | Manhattan | 12 |
| 25 | 70 West 139 Street | Manhattan | 10 |
Source: HPD Violations (NYC Open Data). Class C = immediately hazardous.
RIGHT OF REPLY