In New York City, the difference between a great building and a nightmare can be buried in its violation history. Whether we’re buying a condo, a multifamily, or signing a long-term lease, it’s on us to do the assignments the listing won’t spell out.
The good news: almost all of this information is public and free. The bad news: NYC spreads it across multiple city agencies, each with its own search tool and jargon.
In this guide, we’ll walk through exactly how we check building violations in NYC before we buy or sign a lease, step by step, with links, what to look for, and how to use what we find as leverage.
Why Building Violations Matter For NYC Buyers And Long-Term Renters
Building violations aren’t just technicalities. They’re a snapshot of how seriously an owner takes safety, maintenance, and compliance.
When we review violations, we’re really asking three questions:
- Is this building safe to live in?
- Is this owner responsive and responsible?
- Could this property cost us unexpected money or stress later?
For buyers, violations can mean:
- Hidden repair costs – Open DOB violations can signal structural issues, illegal work, or systems (gas, electric, façade) that may require expensive fixes.
- Financing problems – Some lenders balk at properties with serious open violations or unsafe conditions.
- Closing delays – Violations often need to be cured or placed into escrow before closing, especially in small buildings or 1–4 family homes.
For long-term renters, violations translate directly into quality of life:
- Chronic heat or hot water issues
- Pest infestations or mold
- Broken elevators or unsafe stairs
- Locked exits, faulty fire safety, or illegal occupancy
A building with a long history of open, uncorrected violations usually means we’re walking into an ongoing battle, not a one-time glitch. That’s exactly what we want to know before we wire a down payment or sign a multi-year lease.
Key Types Of NYC Building Violations And Which Agencies Issue Them
NYC violations come from different agencies, each focused on a slice of building life. When we do due diligence, we check all of these:
- Department of Buildings (DOB)
Handles structural safety, construction work, zoning, egress, gas, electrical, and façade. DOB violations can be technical or extremely serious (like unsafe structures or illegal gas lines).
- HPD – Department of Housing Preservation & Development
Oversees housing conditions for residential buildings: heat, hot water, plumbing, pests, lead paint, broken windows, etc. HPD violations tell us how the landlord treats tenants and maintenance.
- FDNY (Fire Department of New York)
Issues violations for fire safety systems: sprinklers, alarms, exits, fire doors, illegal storage, etc. Fire code problems are not just bureaucratic, they’re about life safety.
- OATH/ECB (Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings / Environmental Control Board)
This is where many building-related fines land, including for DOB, FDNY, Sanitation, and other agencies. Open OATH/ECB penalties can attach to the property and sometimes complicate closings.
- 311 Complaints
Not violations by themselves, but a record of what residents have been calling about: noise, lack of services, illegal short-term rentals, etc.
A clean building in NYC rarely has zero issues, but we want to understand the type, frequency, and severity of violations from each of these sources.
Step-By-Step: How To Look Up Building Violations On A NYC Property
Before we jump into the tools, we need one key piece of info: the building’s address and ideally its Borough–Block–Lot (BBL) or BIN (Building Identification Number). We can usually get the BBL/BIN via NYC Department of Finance ACRIS or the NYC Planning ZoLa map if needed, but most searches can start with the address.
Department Of Buildings (DOB) Violations And Open Permits
- Go to the DOB website
- Search:
"NYC DOB BIS"(Building Information System) and/or"DOB NOW Public Portal".
- Search by address
- Enter house number and street (e.g.,
123 Main Street). - Confirm you’re picking the right borough.
- Review the main property profile
Focus on:
- Violations (DOB violations, Environmental Control Board linked issues)
- Complaints
- Open permits
- Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) – especially important for buyers and for renters in basements, “bonus rooms”, or unusual layouts.
- Check violation details
- Look for phrases like “Immediately Hazardous”, “Work Without a Permit”, “Illegal Occupancy”, “Failure to Maintain Building”.
- Note whether they’re open or resolved and the issue date to see if problems are recurring.
- Review open permits and jobs
- Ongoing work may be good (upgrades) or bad (unfinished construction, risky alterations).
- For buyers, lots of old, never-closed permits can mean paperwork headaches later.
HPD (Housing Preservation & Development) Violations And Complaints
- Go to HPD’s “HPD Online” or “HPDONLINE” search
- Search:
"NYC HPD violations search".
- Search by building address
HPD will show:
- Building registration (is the landlord properly registered?)
- Open and closed violations
- Complaints and housing litigation, if any
- Pay special attention to:
- Class B and C violations (we’ll explain classes below)
- Repeated issues: no heat/hot water, rodents, mold, lead-based paint, broken locks or self-closing doors.
A building with dozens or hundreds of open HPD violations is a major red flag, especially for renters considering a long-term lease.
OATH/ECB Fines, FDNY Violations, And 311 Complaints
- OATH/ECB violations and fines
- Search:
"NYC OATH ECB violation search". - Look up by address, ECB number, or sometimes block and lot.
- Check whether there are outstanding penalties. Unpaid fines can become liens and may need to be dealt with before closing.
- FDNY violations
- FDNY’s business/violation search is more limited publicly, but serious fire safety issues often appear through DOB or OATH records.
- We also look for fire-related DOB complaints (blocked exits, alarm issues, illegal partition walls).
- 311 complaints
- Search:
"NYC 311 Service Request Lookup"or use the 311 website map. - Filter by address or zoom to the building’s location.
- We’re not just counting complaints: we’re looking for patterns like constant noise from a rooftop bar, chronic lack of heat, or repeated illegal short-term rental reports.
We don’t need to become paralegals to use these tools. The goal is simply to build a picture: Is this building generally well run, or does it live in permanent crisis mode?
How To Read Violation Reports And Spot Serious Red Flags
Once we have a list of violations, we need to separate “normal NYC building life” from genuine deal-breakers.
Classes Of Violations: Minor Issues Versus Deal-Breakers
HPD classes:
- Class A (Non-Hazardous)
Examples: small cracks, minor signage issues. One or two of these aren’t alarming.
- Class B (Hazardous)
Examples: some leaks, broken window guards, certain electrical or plumbing problems. A few may be manageable: lots of open B violations, not so much.
- Class C (Immediately Hazardous)
Examples: no heat in winter, lead paint hazards, severe leaks/ceiling collapses, no self-closing doors, exposed wiring, serious vermin infestations. Multiple open Class C violations are a giant red flag.
DOB violation language to watch for:
- “Immediately Hazardous – Class 1“
- “Illegal Occupancy” or “Unlawful Use“
- “Failure to Maintain Building“
- “Work Without a Permit“
- Gas, structural, or façade safety violations
We’re especially cautious when serious violations are open for years or repeat for the same issue.
Patterns To Watch For In Multifamily And Rental Buildings
In larger or rental-heavy buildings, patterns tell us more than any single violation:
- Chronic heat/hot water issues – Multiple HPD complaints and Class C violations every winter? That’s not a one-off problem: it’s a business model.
- Elevator problems – Frequent complaints and violations for elevators going out can be brutal if we’re on a higher floor or have mobility issues.
- Pests and sanitation – Rodents, roaches, bedbugs, and garbage complaints are underestimated until we’re the one living with them.
- Unsafe egress / fire doors – Repeated violations for self-closing doors, blocked exits, or fire stair issues are serious life-safety risks.
- Illegal layouts – Basement apartments, carved-up units with many “rooms” and internal locks, or occupancy not matching the C of O may affect our ability to live there, or resell later.
If the violation history reads like a long-running saga, we assume the future will look like the past unless ownership has clearly changed and conditions have improved.
What Building Violations Mean For Your Purchase Or Long-Term Lease
Finding violations doesn’t automatically mean we should walk away. But we do need to understand how they affect our negotiation, our risk, and our exit options.
If You Are Buying: Negotiating, Escrow, And Contract Protections
When we’re buying, violations translate into leverage and legal protections:
- Price negotiation – Significant open DOB or HPD violations can justify a lower purchase price, especially if we’ve received contractor estimates to cure them.
- Seller cure requirements – Our attorney can draft the contract so the seller must clear specific violations before closing, or provide credits/escrows.
- Escrow for open violations – In some cases, we agree to close while placing funds in escrow to cover the cost of curing violations. If they’re not resolved by a set date, the escrow pays for remediation.
- Financing and insurance – We should discuss serious violations with our lender and insurer early. Some won’t proceed with properties that have open life-safety issues.
For small buildings, townhouses, and mixed-use properties, we’re especially cautious, because the responsibility for curing violations may fall squarely on us after closing.
If You Are Renting Long-Term: Safety, Leverage, And Exit Options
Long-term renters have a different set of concerns:
- Is this safe to move into?
Multiple C-class HPD violations and serious DOB issues in common areas (stairs, egress, boilers) may be reason enough to walk away.
- Will management actually respond to problems?
A building with past issues that were corrected quickly is very different from one where violations sit open for years.
- Negotiating rent and terms
If we still want the unit but see a spotty history, we may negotiate more aggressively on rent, ask for particular repairs in writing, or seek additional protections in the lease.
- Knowing our rights later
If we already know the building’s track record and key agencies to contact, we’re in a stronger position if conditions deteriorate, especially in rent-stabilized or long-term leases.
For renters, the threshold is often simple: if we don’t feel safe or trust the owner to maintain basic habitability, we don’t sign.
Practical Next Steps When You Find Problems
Once we’ve identified violations or worrying patterns, we don’t panic, we make a plan.
Here’s how we typically proceed:
- Document everything
- Save PDFs or screenshots of DOB, HPD, and OATH records with dates.
- Keep a simple summary: number of open violations, most serious issues, and recurring themes.
- Ask direct questions
- Buyers: Have our agent ask the seller for an explanation and evidence of completed work or plans to cure.
- Renters: Ask the landlord or management how and when issues were resolved, and don’t accept hand-wavy answers.
- Tie it to the deal
- Buyers: Make violation clearance or credits part of the contract negotiation.
- Renters: Request specific repairs/upgrades in writing as a condition of signing.
- Re-check right before commitment
- Before closing or signing a lease, we run all searches again. New violations can pop up quickly.
- Walk away when needed
- If ownership is evasive, conditions are clearly unsafe, or the cost/risk of curing problems is too high, the best move is often to move on. In NYC, there’s always another listing, there isn’t another you.
When To Bring In Pros: Attorneys, Engineers, And Tenant Advocates
Some buildings are simple: others are a maze of old work, partial C of Os, and legal gray areas. We don’t hesitate to bring in professionals when:
- Violations involve structure, gas, or major systems – We hire a licensed engineer or architect to review and, if needed, inspect on site.
- There are large unpaid fines or complex OATH/ECB records – A real estate attorney can tell us what’s curable, what follows the property, and how to protect ourselves in the contract.
- We’re buying into a co-op or condo with a heavy violation history – We have our attorney review minutes, building financials, and capital plans to see if big assessments are looming.
- We’re renters facing unsafe conditions or a landlord who ignores violations – Tenant advocacy groups and legal aid organizations can help us understand our rights, especially in rent-stabilized buildings.
The earlier we loop in the right pro, the more options we usually have, before we’re locked into a purchase or a lease.
Conclusion
Doing a full violation check on a NYC building takes a little time, but it’s one of the highest‑value steps we can take before buying or signing a long lease.
We use DOB, HPD, OATH, FDNY-related records, and 311 complaints to answer three simple questions: Is this building safe? Is this owner responsible? And what risks or costs are we really taking on?
If the answers don’t feel right, we’re free to renegotiate, or walk. In a city where every block has another building and every building has a story, knowing how to read the violation history lets us choose a home where the biggest surprises are the good kind.