A new violation hits your property at 9:47 AM. You find out about it three days later when a tenant complains. By then, the clock’s already ticking on deadlines, potential fines are piling up, and you’re scrambling to figure out what happened.
Speed matters when violations land on your buildings. The faster you know about them, the faster you can take action and avoid costly penalties. But here’s the catch: not all alert systems deliver information at the same pace.
We’re here with two of the very best tools that property owners can set up for their buildings. Both provide immediate violation alerts as part of their comprehensive tracking platform. Both promise to keep you informed, but one consistently beats the other when seconds count.
The question isn’t if you need alerts. You do. The question is which system actually gets violations to your inbox faster and gives you the tools to act on them. Let’s find out!
DOB Alerts
DOB Alerts has been monitoring NYC construction complaints since 2011, positioning itself as one of the earliest third-party notification service platforms built specifically for the city’s building industry. The platform operates independently from the Department of Buildings, pulling violation data directly from NYC’s public complaint database and converting it into notifications for property owners and construction professionals.
The system works by continuously scanning the DOB’s complaint database for new filings. When a complaint appears against a property you’re monitoring, DOB Alerts picks it up and sends you a notification within hours of the initial filing. This approach helps you avoid costly fines by giving you early warning about issues that could escalate into serious enforcement actions.
How the Alert System Works
DOB Alerts focuses exclusively on construction complaints filed with the Department of Buildings. You create an account, add the properties you want to monitor by entering their addresses or block and lot numbers, and the automated system handles the rest.
The platform monitors your properties around the clock and delivers alerts through multiple channels:
- Email notifications sent to your inbox
- Mobile push notifications if you’re using their app
- Text message alerts for urgent complaints
- Dashboard updates are visible when you log into your account
You don’t need to check the DOB website manually anymore. The system does the monitoring work for you and sends alerts as soon as new complaints show up in the city’s database. This eliminates manual checks and helps maintenance teams respond quickly to reported issues.
Notification Speed and Timing
DOB Alerts pulls data from the city’s complaint database every few hours through its automated monitoring process. When a new complaint gets filed against one of your properties, the system typically catches it within 2-4 hours of the initial submission. You receive your notification shortly after that.
This timing depends on how quickly the DOB posts complaints to its public database. Some complaints appear within an hour of filing, while others take longer to process through the city’s system. The real-time monitoring capability means DOB Alerts can only send notifications once the complaint becomes visible in the public database.
The platform sends alerts 24/7, including weekends and holidays. You get notified the moment a complaint appears, regardless of when it was filed. These real-time notifications help you act fast on emerging issues before they develop into more serious problems.
Coverage Scope and Limitations
DOB Alerts specializes in Department of Buildings complaints, which means you’ll receive notifications about construction work without permits, building permit violations, illegal alterations, and safety hazards reported through 311. The platform doesn’t currently monitor FDNY violations, HPD violation notices, or issues from other city agencies.
If you need to track NYC building violations across multiple NYC agencies like the Fire Department, Environmental Control Board, or Department of Housing Preservation and Development, you’ll need to supplement DOB Alerts with additional monitoring tools or manual tracking methods.
The system provides violation details in each alert, including the complaint type, description, and filing date. You can access this information through your dashboard to help compliance officers and property managers understand what action needs to be taken.
Pricing Structure That Scales
DOB Alerts offers three subscription tiers based on how many properties you need to monitor. The pricing plans let you start monitoring small and expand as your portfolio grows.
| Plan | Properties | Monthly Cost | Best For |
| Starter | 1 property | $19/month | Single property owners are testing the service |
| Save-As-You-Grow | 2-200 properties | Scales with portfolio size | Growing portfolios with flexible needs |
| Premium | Up to 500 properties | $750/month ($1.50 per property) | Large portfolios and management companies |
The Save-As-You-Grow tier adjusts your monthly bill based on how many properties you’re actively monitoring. You can add or remove properties throughout the month, and your cost changes to match your current monitoring needs.
All plans include the same core features: complaint alerts, email notifications, mobile access, and dashboard monitoring. You’re not locked into annual contracts, and you can cancel your subscription at any time. This flexibility helps you stay compliant without committing to long-term contracts.
Set Up Process and Account Management For NYC Building Violations
Getting started takes about 10 minutes. You sign up for an account, select your pricing tier, and start adding properties to your monitoring list. The system accepts addresses, block and lot numbers, or BIN numbers to identify your buildings.
Once your properties are added, you customize your notification preferences. You choose which alert methods you want to use (email, text, push notifications) and set quiet hours if you don’t want alerts during specific times.
The dashboard shows all your monitored properties in one view. You can see recent complaints, check notification history, and manage your property list without switching between multiple screens. The interface also flags unresolved violations that still require attention, helping you stay ahead of enforcement deadlines.
Value for Building Management
DOB Alerts eliminates the need to file paperwork requests or submit Freedom of Information Law applications to track DOB violations on your properties. You get automatic updates delivered directly to your inbox, and you can respond to tenant complaints before they turn into official violations.
The early warning system helps prevent project delays by alerting you to stop-work orders or safety violations as soon as they’re filed. This gives you time to address issues, schedule inspections, and maintain compliance effortlessly across your entire portfolio.
ViolationWatch
ViolationWatch launched as a specialized violation tracking platform built specifically for NYC property owners who needed faster, more comprehensive monitoring across all major city agencies. The platform goes beyond DOB complaints to cover violations from HPD, FDNY, ECB, DEP, DOT, DSNY, DOH, and other enforcement agencies.
The system uses an AI-powered monitoring engine that continuously scans NYC’s violation databases and sends instant notifications the moment new violations appear. You get alerts through WhatsApp, SMS, and email, giving you multiple ways to stay informed across your entire team.
How AI Monitoring Speeds Up Detection
ViolationWatch’s monitoring engine operates differently from traditional alert systems. The platform uses artificial intelligence to scan all NYC agency databases continuously, picking up violations as they post to the city’s systems.
When a new violation appears against one of your properties, the AI engine catches it instantly and triggers notifications across all your chosen channels. You don’t wait for scheduled database checks or hourly scans. The system operates in continuous monitoring mode.
The alerts arrive through three delivery channels:
- WhatsApp notifications are sent directly to your mobile device
- Email alerts are delivered to multiple team members simultaneously
- SMS text messages for urgent violations requiring immediate attention
You can set up multiple phone numbers and email addresses per property, making sure your entire team gets notified when violations appear. This team-wide notification system means property managers, landlords, and maintenance coordinators all receive alerts at the same time.
The Step-by-Step Monitoring Process for NYC Violations
ViolationWatch operates through a straightforward workflow that keeps your properties under constant surveillance without manual intervention.
- Step 1: Property Registration: You create your account and add the properties you want to monitor. The system accepts NYC addresses, block and lot numbers, or BIN identifiers. You can add a single building or upload your entire portfolio in one session.
- Step 2: Continuous Database Scanning: Once your properties are registered, ViolationWatch’s AI engine begins scanning NYC agency databases around the clock. The system checks for new violations, compliance updates, and enforcement actions across all monitored agencies without any action required from you.
- Step 3: Instant Multi-Channel Alerts: The moment a violation appears in any agency’s database, the platform sends instant notifications through WhatsApp and email to every contact you’ve designated. You can route different violation types to different team members based on who needs to respond.
- Step 4: Proactive Response Management: With instant notification in hand, you can address violations before they turn into expensive fines or enforcement actions. The early warning gives you time to schedule repairs, file responses, or contact the appropriate agency while resolution options remain open.
This automated workflow runs continuously in the background, eliminating the need to check government websites manually or worry about missing critical compliance deadlines.
Multi-Agency Coverage in One Dashboard
ViolationWatch monitors violations from 10 major NYC enforcement agencies, not limiting itself to DOB complaints. The platform tracks issues from all these sources and displays them in a single unified dashboard.
When you log in, you see violations organized by status, agency, and urgency level. The dashboard uses color coding to highlight critical violations that need immediate attention versus resolved issues you can archive.
| Monitoring Feature | Capability |
| Agencies Covered | DOB, HPD, FDNY, ECB, DEP, DOT, DSNY, DOH, DEC, DOF |
| Alert Speed | Instant notifications when violations are posted |
| Notification Channels | WhatsApp, Email, SMS |
| Team Access | Multiple contacts per property |
| Dashboard Views | Status-based organization with color coding |
The platform pulls data automatically from each agency’s database, eliminating the need to check multiple government websites manually. You get a complete compliance picture for each property without switching between different systems.
Instant Alert Timing and Delivery
ViolationWatch sends alerts the moment violations appear in NYC’s databases. There’s no delay between when the city posts a violation and when you receive your notification. The AI monitoring system operates continuously, scanning for new violations around the clock.
This instant delivery model means you can respond to violations within minutes of their appearance. When a 311 complaint gets filed, an HPD inspection results in a violation, or the DOB issues a stop-work order, you find out immediately through your preferred notification channel.
The platform supports bilingual alerts in both English and Spanish, accommodating teams with diverse language preferences. You can customize which types of violations trigger urgent SMS alerts versus standard email notifications.
Flexible Pricing for Different Portfolio Sizes
ViolationWatch offers two main transparent pricing structures. You can start with a free trial to test the platform, then move to the per-address plan when you’re ready for full monitoring capabilities.
- Free Trial Features:
- Monitor one location at no cost
- Access limited to 311 violations only
- Notifications arrive with a 48-hour delay
- Single contact receives alerts
- Full access to original violation documents
- Per Address Plan ($9.99/month per address):
- Unlimited violation and compliance tracking across all agencies
- Instant WhatsApp and email alerts with zero delay
- AI-powered monitoring that catches violations immediately
- Access to all original violation records and documents
- Multi-location monitoring from a single dashboard
- Multiple contact notifications for your entire team
- Proactive alerts that help prevent fines before they escalate
The per-address pricing scales with your portfolio. If you manage five properties, you pay $49.95 monthly. For 20 properties, your cost runs $199.80 per month. The pricing stays transparent and predictable as you grow your monitoring coverage.
Free Violation Lookup Tool
ViolationWatch provides a free lookup tool where you can search any NYC property’s violation history without creating an account. You enter an address or BIN number, and the system pulls up current violations across all monitored agencies.
The lookup tool gives you instant access to:
- Current open violations by agency and type
- Violation descriptions and severity levels, including Class C immediate hazards
- Issue dates and current status
- Agency contact information for follow-up
- Daily fines accumulation for ongoing violations
This free search capability lets you check properties before signing leases, evaluate potential acquisitions, or verify compliance status without committing to a paid subscription. You can run unlimited searches and export results for your records.
The tool helps you catch issues early during property due diligence or routine compliance checks. When you search an address, you get real-time updates pulled directly from NYC agency databases, showing the same information enforcement officers see when they review property records.
You can use the lookup to identify critical issues that require immediate attention, such as open ECB violations with pending hearings or HPD orders with approaching deadlines. The search results include status updates for each violation, showing you which issues are open, dismissed, or under review.
Property managers often use the free lookup to verify they’re receiving the right alerts from their monitoring systems. If you spot a violation in the lookup that you didn’t receive an alert for, you know there’s a gap in your current monitoring setup that needs addressing.
Setup and Account Configuration
Getting started with ViolationWatch takes about five minutes. You sign up for an account, add your properties by entering their NYC addresses, and select which violation types you want to monitor.
The platform lets you choose between two monitoring categories:
- NYC 311 Complaints for general quality-of-life issues
- Department of Buildings violations for construction and safety compliance
You can monitor both categories or select one based on your specific needs. After choosing your monitoring preferences, you add team member contacts and configure notification settings for each person. Some team members might need instant SMS alerts for urgent violations, while others receive daily email summaries.
The dashboard organizes violations by status using a color-coded system. Red indicates open violations requiring immediate action. Green shows resolved issues. Yellow marks violations with upcoming deadlines. Blue tracks monitored locations without current violations.
Faster Alerts Mean Smaller Fines and Better Control
Speed determines how well you manage NYC building violations. The faster you know about a new complaint or enforcement action, the more options you have to resolve it before penalties stack up.
Both DOB Alerts and ViolationWatch solve the same core problem of manual violation checking, but they do it at different speeds and with different levels of coverage. Now you can make an informed choice based on what matters most for your properties.
What you can do with this information:
- Choose between hourly database scans or instant AI-powered monitoring that catches violations the moment they post to city systems.
- Decide if monitoring DOB complaints alone meets your needs, or if you need coverage across HPD, FDNY, ECB, and seven other enforcement agencies.
- Calculate your monthly costs based on portfolio size and compare $19 per property for basic DOB monitoring versus $9.99 per address for multi-agency instant alerts.
- Set up team-wide notifications through WhatsApp, SMS, and email instead of relying on a single contact point for critical compliance issues.
DOB Alerts works well if you’re focused exclusively on construction complaints and don’t mind waiting a few hours for notifications. The platform has served the NYC building community since 2011 and offers reliable monitoring for its specific scope.
ViolationWatch takes a different approach with instant alerts, broader agency coverage, and AI-powered monitoring that eliminates the wait between violation posting and notification delivery. You get your entire team notified simultaneously across multiple channels, and you track compliance issues from 10 different NYC agencies in one dashboard. When response time makes the difference between a quick resolution and an escalating fine, that speed advantage matters.