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

Hamilton Heights

3495 Broadway

$2,950 base rent

1 |

1

Chinatown

87 Bayard Street

$2,300 base rent

1 |

1

Lenox Hill

309 East 61st Street

$2,995 base rent

1 |

1

South Harlem

211 West 122nd Street

$2,600 base rent

Studio |

1

Yorkville

320 East 81st Street

$3,000 base rent

1 |

1

Lincoln Square

243 West 63rd Street

$2,745 base rent

1 |

1

Lincoln Square

239 West 63rd Street

$1,999 base rent

Studio |

1

Lenox Hill

1132 First Avenue

$2,750 base rent

Studio |

1

Lincoln Square

240 West 64th Street

$1,999 base rent

Studio |

1

Lincoln Square

248 West 64th Street

$2,110 base rent

Studio |

1

Upper West Side

308 West 98th Street

$2,918 base rent

Studio |

1

Lincoln Square

240 West 64th Street

$2,995 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.

Williamsburg

112 Graham Avenue

$2,800 base rent

2 |

1

Fort Hamilton

9303 Shore Road

$2,850 base rent

1 |

1

Stuyvesant Heights

1024 Gates Avenue

$2,650 base rent

Studio |

1

Bedford-Stuyvesant

41 Brevoort Place

$2,998 base rent

1 |

1

Gravesend

2402 85th Street

$2,850 base rent

2 |

1

Canarsie

381 De Witt Avenue

$2,626 base rent

2 |

2

Brownsville

1111 Clarkson Avenue

$2,400 base rent

2 |

1

Crown Heights

887 Saint John’s Place

$2,575 base rent

Studio |

1

Greenwood

119 33rd Street

$3,000 base rent

2 |

1

Park Slope

272 1st Street

$2,728 base rent

1 |

1

Bushwick

441 Wilson Avenue

$2,999 base rent

1 |

1

Brownsville

128 Livonia Avenue

$2,734 base rent

2 |

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.

Woodside

60-05 44th Avenue

$2,200 base rent

1 |

1

Jamaica

89-29 163rd Street

$2,200 base rent

Studio |

1

Jamaica

89-25 162nd Street

$2,652 base rent

2 |

1

Jamaica

89-25 162nd Street

$2,419 base rent

1 |

1

Jamaica

89-25 162nd Street

$2,632 base rent

2 |

1

Jamaica

89-25 162nd Street

$2,400 base rent

1 |

1

Jamaica

92-27 160th Street

$2,600 base rent

1 |

1

Jamaica

92-27 160th Street

$2,494 base rent

1 |

1

Long Island City

29-28 41st Avenue

$3,000 base rent

Studio |

1

Astoria

25-14 31st Avenue

$2,800 base rent

1 |

1

Astoria

33-14 34th Avenue

$2,600 base rent

1 |

1

Briarwood

84-11 Lander Street

$2,295 base rent

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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