Building Risk Rankings
Queens Building Risk Rankings
Queens is NYC's most ethnically diverse borough, with 138 distinct neighborhoods stretching from Long Island City high-rises to single-family homes in Forest Hills, Bayside, and the Rockaways. The compliance pattern here skews differently than the rest of NYC — Queens has historically high rates of illegal conversions (basement and attic units rented without DOB sign-off), unpermitted renovations on single- and two-family homes, and certificate-of-occupancy mismatches where a building's actual use diverges from its filed CO. The list below ranks Queens buildings flagged for significant open HPD violations, sorted by current open count.
Buildings ranked
570
Visible risk signals
82,648
Median signal count
120
Highest-signal building
614
100 Queens buildings worth a closer look
Rankings start with visible maintenance-risk signals. Open any address to review the full audit: violations, permits, filings, fines, flood exposure, and neighborhood context.
Frequently asked about Queens buildings
Which Queens neighborhoods have the most building violations?
Jackson Heights, Corona, East Elmhurst, and parts of Far Rockaway carry the highest per-building HPD violation counts in Queens. These tend to be older multifamily neighborhoods with high tenant-density and significant rent-regulated stock. Newer construction in Long Island City and Hunters Point shows much lower violation rates on average, though check each specific BBL since outliers exist.
How do I check if a Queens basement apartment is legal?
Most Queens basement and cellar apartments are illegal conversions — meaning the unit is not on the building's filed Certificate of Occupancy. Our audit checks the CO against the listed unit count and flags mismatches. If you're being shown a basement apartment that the listing claims is 'finished' or 'in-law,' run the audit before signing — illegal units can be vacated by DOB at any time with no relocation assistance.
Are Long Island City new-construction buildings violation-free?
No new-construction building is truly violation-free — DOB will issue work-permit and construction-fence violations during build-out, and many post-2015 LIC towers have accumulated dozens of resolved violations from the construction phase. What matters is whether OPEN violations remain and whether complaints have arisen post-occupancy. Our audit separates open vs. closed and flags any open class-C hazardous issues prominently.
What's an illegal conversion in Queens and why does it matter?
An illegal conversion is a unit being rented that doesn't appear on the building's filed Certificate of Occupancy — typically basements, cellars, attic spaces, or garages converted to bedrooms. They're a serious risk for tenants: no legal recourse for habitability, no rent regulation, and DOB can issue a vacate order at any time. The audit's CO check + DOB violation history catches most illegal conversions.
Should I avoid Queens buildings with open DOB violations?
Not necessarily — DOB violations cover a wide range, from minor work-permit lapses to active stop-work orders. A building with 20 open DOB violations may be fine; a building with one open stop-work order on the elevator should give you pause. Read the violation descriptions in the audit rather than the raw count.