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

South Harlem

274 West 115th Street

$2,600 base rent

1 |

1

Lower East Side

200 Allen Street

$2,750 base rent

Studio |

1

Kips Bay

229 East 25th Street

$3,000 base rent

1 |

1

Washington Heights

546 West 180th Street

$2,325 base rent

1 |

1

Murray Hill

5 Tudor City Place

$2,650 base rent

Studio |

1

Inwood

9 Seaman Avenue

$2,500 base rent

1 |

1

Gramercy Park

341 East 22nd Street

$2,500 base rent

Studio |

1

Central Harlem

2492 Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard

$3,000 base rent

3 |

1

Hamilton Heights

25 Hamilton Terrace

$2,850 base rent

1 |

1

Fort George

22 Broadway Terrace

$2,475 base rent

2 |

1

Hamilton Heights

1590 Amsterdam Avenue

$3,000 base rent

1 |

1

Yorkville

1867 Second Avenue

$2,750 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.

Bushwick

147 Stanhope Street

$2,979 base rent

Studio |

1

Prospect Lefferts Gardens

1193 Nostrand Avenue

$2,998 base rent

1 |

1

Flatbush

1640 Nostrand Avenue

$2,599 base rent

1 |

1

Bushwick

962 Bushwick Avenue

$2,908 base rent

1 |

1

Prospect Lefferts Gardens

1143 Nostrand Avenue

$2,795 base rent

2 |

1

Prospect Lefferts Gardens

1143 Nostrand Avenue

$2,795 base rent

1 |

1

Cypress Hills

3350 Fulton Street

$2,500 base rent

1 |

1

Flatbush

200 Linden Boulevard

$2,795 base rent

1 |

1

Stuyvesant Heights

887 Lexington Avenue

$2,803 base rent

1 |

1

East Flatbush

824 East New York Avenue

$2,779 base rent

1 |

1

East Flatbush

3817 Avenue I

$2,800 base rent

2 |

1

Bushwick

1334 Bushwick Avenue

$2,900 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.

Flushing

136-18 Maple Avenue

$3,000 base rent

1 |

1

Jackson Heights

35-61 84th Street

$2,995 base rent

2 |

1

Ditmars-Steinway

24-15 36th Street

$2,300 base rent

1 |

1

Woodside

39-39 59th Street

$1,700 base rent

Studio |

1

Woodside

39-39 59th Street

$1,800 base rent

Studio |

1

Woodside

58-34 43rd Avenue

$2,300 base rent

1 |

1

Astoria

29-10 21st Street

$2,895 base rent

1 |

1

Ditmars-Steinway

23-19 Steinway Street

$2,800 base rent

1 |

1

Jackson Heights

32-62 83rd Street

$3,000 base rent

2 |

1

Ridgewood

57-50 Myrtle Avenue

$3,000 base rent

2 |

1

Astoria

30-12 21st Street

$3,000 base rent

1 |

1

Jamaica

172-02 Hillside Avenue

$2,850 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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