Renting in NYC: The Ultimate Guide

NYC Building Complaints: How To Check a Landlord

By Jordi Lippe-McGraw December 1, 2021

There’s a lot to consider when choosing an apartment to rent, from size and location to the amenities offered. You probably also want to know if there have been any NYC building complaints against the prospective landlord or management company. For example, has the building dealt with bed bugs, trash removal problems, broken windows, or heat and hot water complaints? Luckily, there is a simple way to get this information, including historical violations, so you know if an apartment has had any issues.

Table of Contents

East Harlem

320 East 126th Street

$1,900 base rent

Studio |

1

Manhattan Valley

249 West 109th Street

$2,575 base rent

Studio |

1

Upper West Side

163 West 79th Street

$2,875 base rent

Studio |

1

Kips Bay

210 East 29th Street

$2,990 base rent

Studio |

1

East Harlem

22 East 105th Street

$2,400 base rent

2 |

1

Yorkville

522 East 88th Street

$2,998 base rent

1 |

1

Fort George

11 Fairview Avenue

$2,200 base rent

1 |

1

Upper West Side

303 West 106th Street

$2,897 base rent

1 |

1

Chinatown

82 Bayard Street

$2,795 base rent

1 |

1

Central Harlem

10 West 135th Street

$2,775 base rent

1 |

1

Washington Heights

775 Riverside Drive

$2,775 base rent

1 |

1

Central Harlem

10 West 135th Street

$2,665 base rent

1 |

1

Research NYC Building Complaints on Reviews Sites

We all know New Yorkers aren’t afraid to share their opinions on review sites about restaurants, doctors, and more. Thankfully, this impulse extends to publicly sharing thoughts on NYC buildings. Likewise, tenants often leave reviews of buildings and management companies on Google Reviews and even Yelp. There are also additional online reviews sites for landlords. You can do a quick Google search to see what’s available.

Brighton Beach

363 Neptune Avenue

$2,300 base rent

1 |

1

Greenwood

771 Fourth Avenue

$3,000 base rent

2 |

1

Bushwick

949 Willoughby Avenue

$3,000 base rent

1 |

1

Greenwood

141 23rd Street

$2,999 base rent

2 |

1

Stuyvesant Heights

63 Mac Dougal Street

$2,699 base rent

2 |

1

Sunset Park

6014 Fourth Avenue

$2,500 base rent

1 |

1

Prospect Park South

50 East Tenth Street

$2,750 base rent

Studio |

1

Sunset Park

6020 3rd Avenue

$3,000 base rent

2 |

2

Sunset Park

815 52nd Street

$2,850 base rent

3 |

1

Farragut

1349 Brooklyn Avenue

$2,600 base rent

1 |

1

Downtown Brooklyn

150 Lawrence Street

$2,970 base rent

Studio |

1

Prospect Lefferts Gardens

61 Clarkson Avenue

$2,750 base rent

1 |

1

Research NYC Landlord Complaints With the Department of Buildings

Aside from Googling reviews, the easiest way to find out the status of a building is to search the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) information system. Finding your building is easy:

Select your borough from the dropdown menu
Enter the building number in the “House number” field
Enter the street in the “Street” field
Press “Go”

You can also search by block and lot, as well as Building Identification Number (BIN). The results will show you the complaints filed with DOB and all violations and share if the complaints were resolved.

“Typically, when a person files a complaint against a landlord, they will call 311, and that will lead to an inspection of the building,” Shaun Pappas, Partner at Starr law firm, told StreetEasy. “At the inspection, DOB may issue a violation, and that is recorded on their system and website. It could be an elevator violation, for instance. Then the owner will need to clear the violation by addressing it.”

Keep in mind that most buildings have some form of violations issued from time to time, and that doesn’t mean the owner is actively doing something wrong. But the type and frequency of the violations can help shed light on potential issues.

Consider the dates of the complaints — are they recent or from a decade ago? “A one-time issue can be overlooked. However, if the issues are plentiful and ongoing, there is a cause of concern,” said Karen Kostiw, an agent for Warburg Realty.

Astoria

33-11 Crescent Street

$2,365 base rent

1 |

1

Sunnyside

43-33 42nd Street

$2,695 base rent

1 |

1

Astoria

34-17 30th Street

$2,075 base rent

Studio |

1

Astoria

37-13 30th Avenue

$1,999 base rent

1 |

1

Maspeth

59-85 57 Drive

$2,800 base rent

2 |

1

Elmhurst

83-30 Vietor Avenue

$2,250 base rent

1 |

1

Kew Gardens

83-14 Lefferts Boulevard

$2,950 base rent

2 |

1

Bayside

223-58 56 Road

$2,850 base rent

3 |

1

Ditmars-Steinway

24-60 27th Street

$2,600 base rent

2 |

1

Rego Park

65-70 Austin Street

$2,495 base rent

1 |

1

Long Island City

37-11 9th Street

$2,499 base rent

2 |

1

Auburndale

40-12 Clearview Expressway

$2,650 base rent

2 |

1

Check Out the Department of Housing Preservation and Development

Another government agency you can use to research NYC building complaints is the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). Like DOB, any official violation or complaint (made via 311) that has been documented is now public record through the HPD website. The main difference is it only features complaints from the last year, but it is another resource that documents many different types of complaints, from mold to vermin.

Other NYC Landlord Complaint Resources

Besides code and law violations reported to DOB and HPD, other entities help you research NYC building complaints history.

Check the Landlord Watch List: The City Public Advocate has a list of the worst landlords in the city. You can search by building or landlord.
Review Rent Stabilization Complaints: New York State’s Division of Housing and Community Renewal lets you search for complaints regarding rent-stabilized rents and your apartment’s regulation history.
Contact the Management Company: You can try inquiring with the management company of a building about any issue that concerns you, such as pests, noise, and more. How much they will disclose is unclear.

Increased Protections for Renters

Though the city’s agencies are there to help field and file NYC building complaints for tenants to access easily, they’re also continually working to improve living conditions for renters in general.

For example, in 2017, the city announced Universal Access to Counsel. So, by 2022 every tenant facing an eviction case will have access to free legal services. FYI, New York state lawmakers voted to extend an eviction moratorium until at least January 15, 2022.
This follows the passing of stronger rent protection laws in June of 2019. These include increased protections for tenants in rent-stabilized and rent-controlled apartments and increased protection against eviction for all NYC renters. Additionally, the amount landlords can charge for a background or credit check is $20, and security deposits (which now must be returned to tenants no more than 14 days after an apartment is vacated) are limited to one month’s rent.

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