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

Sutton Place

1073 First Avenue

$2,500 No Fee

Studio |

1

Turtle Bay

225 East 47th Street

$2,800 No Fee

Studio |

1

Gramercy Park

333 East 14th Street

$2,000 No Fee

1 |

1

East Harlem

117 East 102nd Street

$2,845 No Fee

1 |

1

East Harlem

336 East 112nd Street

$2,795 No Fee

1 |

1

Lenox Hill

555 East 78th Street

$2,995 No Fee

Studio |

1

Lincoln Square

40 West 70th Street

$3,000 No Fee

1 |

1

East Village

206 East 10th Street

$2,700 No Fee

1 |

1

South Harlem

28 West 125th Street

$2,450 No Fee

1 |

1

East Village

211 East 13th Street

$2,950 No Fee

2 |

2

Midtown

129 West 56th Street

$2,797 No Fee

1 |

1

Turtle Bay

348 East 49th Street

$2,500 No Fee

Studio |

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.

Brownsville

442 East 95th Street

$1,875 No Fee

1 |

1

Carroll Gardens

356 Degraw Street

$2,600 No Fee

Studio |

1

Sunset Park

521 45th Street

$2,500 No Fee

1 |

1

Gowanus

106 15th Street

$2,600 No Fee

1 |

2

Flatbush

1623 Nostrand Avenue

$2,525 No Fee

Studio |

1

Bushwick

318 Jefferson Street

$2,800 No Fee

1 |

1

Fort Hamilton

329 93rd Street

$2,200 No Fee

1 |

1

Midwood

1500 Ocean Parkway

$1,800 No Fee

1 |

1

Park Slope

402 Seventh Avenue

$2,300 No Fee

Studio |

1

Flatbush

123 Linden Boulevard

$2,875 No Fee

1 |

1

Prospect Lefferts Gardens

33 Lincoln Road

$2,757 No Fee

Studio |

1

Flatbush

1244 New York Avenue

$2,400 No Fee

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.

Sunnyside

50-37 48th Street

$2,800 No Fee

2 |

1

Whitestone

151-21 19th Avenue

$2,800 No Fee

2 |

1

East Elmhurst

22-10 94th Street

$1,500 No Fee

Studio |

1

Briarwood

82-35 134th Street

$1,900 No Fee

1 |

1

Sunnyside

41-19 49th Street

$2,890 No Fee

2 |

1

Maspeth

60-13 54th Street

$2,000 No Fee

1 |

1

Astoria

28-04 33rd Street

$2,399 No Fee

1 |

1

Astoria

27-25 12th Street

$2,800 No Fee

2 |

1

Astoria

25-14 21st Street

$2,933 No Fee

1 |

1

Glendale

69-05 Luther Road

$2,950 No Fee

2 |

1

Astoria

31-44 Steinway Street

$2,850 No Fee

2 |

1

Astoria

32-79 44th Street

$2,800 No Fee

1 |

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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