NYC Property Audit blog
NYC property due-diligence guides
Walkthroughs of how NYC building records work — from violation classes to certificate of occupancy to flood zones. Written for renters, buyers, and small-portfolio landlords.
Pillar guides
8 min read · May 23, 2026
How to Check NYC Bedbug History Before Signing a Lease
Before you sign an NYC lease, check the building's bedbug history using HPD complaints, 311 records, and the landlord's mandatory disclosure form. Here's exactly how — and what the red flags look like.
9 min read · May 23, 2026
NYC Landlord Red Flags: How to Check a Landlord's Violation History Before Renting
How to look up a NYC landlord's violation history across their entire portfolio — HPD, DOB, OATH, ACRIS, and the Public Advocate's Worst Landlords list — before you sign a lease.
10 min read · May 23, 2026
NYC Heat, Mold, and Lead Paint Violations: What Renters and Buyers Need to Know
A practical guide to the three most serious HPD violation categories in NYC — heat, mold, and lead paint. What the laws require, how violations get issued, and what they signal about a building's maintenance history.
8 min read · May 23, 2026
NYC Boiler Violations Explained: What They Mean for Renters and Buyers
What NYC boiler violations are, how DOB issues them, what they cost, and how to check any building's boiler inspection and violation history before signing a lease or making an offer.
9 min read · May 23, 2026
How to Clear HPD Violations in NYC: A Step-by-Step Guide for Landlords and Owners
How to clear open HPD violations in NYC — cure windows by class, re-inspection scheduling, self-certification, OATH hearings, and common mistakes that keep violations open for years.
10 min read · May 21, 2026
NYC DOB Violations Explained: Types, Fines, and What They Mean for Your Building
A complete guide to NYC Department of Buildings violations — violation categories (V, VW, VH), how DOB issues them, typical fines, how they resolve, and what open DOB violations mean for renters and buyers.
11 min read · Dec 15, 2025
How to Vet a NYC Co-op Before Buying: Board Minutes + Public Records
NYC co-op due diligence is different from condo due diligence. Here's what to read in the board minutes, what to extract from public records, and the 8 deal-killer signals that should make you walk before the interview.
12 min read · Dec 3, 2025
NYC Building Due-Diligence Checklist for Buyers (2026 Edition)
Complete public-record due-diligence checklist for NYC condo, co-op, and small-building buyers — compliance, financial, building, neighborhood, and systems checks before you submit an offer.
8 min read · Nov 26, 2025
Is My NYC Apartment Rent-Stabilized? How to Check (and What It's Worth)
How to tell if a NYC apartment is rent-stabilized — the J-51, 421a, and pre-1974 building rules — and what stabilization is actually worth in dollar terms over a ten-year tenancy.
9 min read · Nov 4, 2025
What a NYC Seller MUST Disclose vs. What They Often Hide
NYC sellers have surprisingly few mandatory disclosures — the state lets most issues hide behind 'as-is.' Here's what they're legally required to tell you, what they often hide, and how the public record fills the gaps.
12 min read · Oct 30, 2025
Pre-Purchase NYC Condo Inspection Checklist: Public-Record Edition
Everything to check on a NYC condo's public record before you submit an offer — building violations, board financial signals, sponsor history, J-51/421-a status, and the questions to ask your attorney.
8 min read · Oct 15, 2025
ACRIS NYC: How to Look Up Property Ownership and Sales History
Walkthrough of NYC ACRIS for non-lawyers — how to find every deed, mortgage, lien, and ownership transfer on a property, what each document type signals, and the gotchas that bite first-time users.
10 min read · Sep 22, 2025
Tenant Rights When Your NYC Building Has Open HPD Violations
What NYC tenants can legally do when their building has open HPD violations — repair-and-deduct, rent withholding, 311 complaints, HP actions, and how to use the public violation record to back up a complaint.
9 min read · Sep 4, 2025
How to Read a NYC Violation Report (Without Knowing the Lingo)
Plain-English walkthrough of every column on a NYC building violation report — agency, class, lifecycle, item code, fine amount — so you can tell a routine filing from a real red flag.
11 min read · Aug 19, 2025
Red Flags to Check Before Signing a NYC Apartment Lease
Twelve public-record red flags every NYC renter should verify before signing a lease — open violations, unpaid fines, stop-work orders, lead paint, flood zone, and heat-and-hot-water complaint history. Free, takes 10 minutes.
9 min read · Aug 8, 2025
How to Negotiate NYC Rent Using Public Building Violations
NYC landlords have less leverage in negotiation than tenants think. Public violations, unpaid fines, and stop-work orders are admissible negotiating points — here's how to use them without alienating the landlord.
11 min read · Mar 25, 2025
How to Check NYC Building Violations Before Signing a Lease (or Buying)
A complete guide to checking DOB, HPD, and OATH violations on any NYC building — for renters, buyers, and small-portfolio landlords. Free tools, what each violation class means, and the red flags that should make you walk away.
Glossary & explainers
7 min read · May 23, 2026
NYC DOB Vacate Orders Explained: What Happens When a Building Is Ordered Vacated
What a NYC DOB vacate order means, what triggers one, what happens to tenants, how to check if a building has a current or historical vacate order, and what it means for buyers.
6 min read · Jul 30, 2025
DOB vs ECB vs OATH Violations: What Each One Means in NYC
DOB, ECB, and OATH violations are three different things often confused as one. Here's what each agency does, how the same issue can spawn multiple violations, and which ones cost real money.
6 min read · Jul 11, 2025
Stop Work Order NYC: What It Means for Renters and Buyers
What a NYC DOB stop-work order means, partial vs full stop, typical fines ($25,000+), how long they last, and how to check if a building has an active stop-work order before signing a lease or buying.
5 min read · Jun 19, 2025
NYC Certificate of Occupancy (C of O): What It Is and Why It Matters
What a NYC Certificate of Occupancy means, what Final vs Temporary C of O signals to a buyer or renter, and the red flags worth checking before signing.
7 min read · Jun 4, 2025
NYC Sidewalk Shed: Why It's There, How Long It Stays, and What to Check Before Renting
What a NYC sidewalk shed means for your building, why some stay up for 5+ years, Local Law 11 facade inspections, how to read the permit, and how to check any building's shed and facade history before signing a lease.
6 min read · May 8, 2025
HPD Violation Classes Explained: Class A vs B vs C
What HPD Class A, B, and C mean for NYC renters and buyers — severity, typical cure times, fine ranges, and how to read the violation tier on your apartment's record.
7 min read · Apr 22, 2025
NYC FEMA Flood Zones Explained: Zone X, AE, and VE
What Zone X, AE, and VE mean for NYC properties — when flood insurance is required, premium ranges, and how Hurricane Sandy redrew the map.
9 min read · Apr 4, 2025
NYC PLUTO Data Explained: What Every Field Tells You
NYC PLUTO is the master dataset on every NYC property — year built, units, lot size, zoning, owner, FAR. Here's what each field actually means and how to read a PLUTO record for due diligence.
8 min read · Mar 8, 2025
NYC Tax Abatements Explained: J-51, 421-a, and ICAP
What J-51, 421-a, and ICAP tax abatements actually do for your NYC property tax, how long they last, when they expire, and what your tax bill looks like the year after the abatement burns off.
7 min read · Feb 26, 2025
NYC Building Class Codes Explained: A0–Z9 Cheatsheet
What NYC building class codes (A0, C1, D4, O6, S9, etc.) actually mean — the alphabetical category, the number's nuance, and how the class affects taxes, financing, and what kind of work is allowed.
5 min read · Feb 12, 2025
NYC BBL Lookup: How to Find Your Borough-Block-Lot from an Address
What a NYC BBL is, how to derive one from an address, why ZoLa, ACRIS, and PLUTO all need it, and the common gotchas (corner lots, condo BBLs, recent subdivisions).
6 min read · Jan 22, 2025
DOB Now vs BIS: Which NYC Permit Database Should You Use?
NYC has two permit databases — BIS (the legacy system) and DOB Now (the modern replacement). Each has data the other doesn't. Here's which one to check for what, and why pros use both.