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Frequently asked · 22 answers
Everything you'd reasonably ask a human.
Organized by topic. Can't find yours? Message the team — we answer every one.
01
Product
How fast do violation alerts actually arrive?
For DOB and HPD, our detection engine re-scans signals every few minutes. Most new violations reach your inbox within 10–20 minutes of first appearing in any source. Some slower datasets like ECB can take up to a few hours — still dramatically faster than any manual process.
Which NYC agencies does ViolationWatch monitor?
Ten: DOB (Buildings), HPD (Housing Preservation & Development), ECB (Environmental Control Board), OATH (Administrative Trials & Hearings), FDNY (Fire), 311 (Service Complaints), DEP (Environmental Protection), DOH (Health), PRM (Permit Renewal), and DOT (Transportation).
Do I need an API key or any technical setup?
No. ViolationWatch is a turnkey service. Sign up, enter your property address, choose your alert recipients, and you are monitoring. No API key, no code, no configuration files.
How do alerts get delivered?
Email, WhatsApp, SMS, and Slack. You can route different agencies to different people — e.g. DOB alerts go to your super on WhatsApp, OATH hearings go to legal via email, 311 complaints go to the building manager on Slack.
What's the difference between a complaint and a violation?
A complaint is the initial report — usually filed via 311 by a tenant or neighbor. A violation is the formal finding issued by an inspector. ViolationWatch surfaces both, so the complaint alert gives you a head start before it becomes a formal violation and fine.
Does ViolationWatch track Local Law 97 and Local Law 11 compliance?
Yes. The compliance calendar tracks LL11 (facade/FISP), LL97 (carbon emissions), LL87 (energy audits), LL88 (sub-metering), LL152 (gas piping), LL126 (parking structures), LL196 (safety training), LL26 (sprinklers), and more. Deadline reminders route to whoever you specify.
02
Pricing & plans
How much does ViolationWatch cost?
$9 per NYC building per month, or $99 per year (2 months free). Every plan includes all 10 agencies, all alert channels, the full compliance calendar, and unlimited alert recipients. No per-seat tier, no per-agency upsell.
How does the free trial work?
You enter a credit card at sign-up, get full access to every feature for 7 days, and can cancel with one click before day 8 to avoid any charge. If you keep the subscription, the card is billed on day 8 at your selected plan.
Can I monitor a portfolio of NYC buildings?
Yes. For 10+ buildings, the Portfolio plan includes volume pricing, bulk address import, dedicated account management, SSO + SCIM, white-labeled reports, and a 99.99% uptime SLA. Contact enterprise for a quote.
What payment methods do you accept?
Credit card (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover) for Monthly and Annual. ACH and wire for Portfolio plans.
What's your cancellation policy?
One click. Monthly plans cancel at the end of the current billing cycle. Annual plans can be cancelled any time for a prorated refund. Portfolio plans follow your contract terms.
03
Data & coverage
Where does the data come from?
Our detection engine fuses multiple independent signals — agency records, inspection filings, complaint routing, adjacency patterns, and derivative indicators. Public data is one signal among many; the engine is what turns raw signal into actionable alerts.
How accurate is the data?
Very. We cross-reference every signal against at least two sources before firing an alert. False-positive rate on DOB and HPD violations is under 1.5%. If a record disappears from the source, we reconcile within 24 hours.
Do you cover all of NYC?
Yes — all five boroughs, all zip codes, every BIN in the DOB database. We do not monitor outside NYC.
Can I search a property before subscribing?
Yes. The free lookup tool runs a full multi-agency search on any NYC address with no sign-up. It's the same data we monitor — just a one-time snapshot instead of continuous.
Does ViolationWatch track complaints made against a building that haven't been inspected yet?
Yes. This is one of our most-used features. 311 complaints surface in our feed as soon as the city logs them — typically hours or days before the routed agency (HPD, DOB, DEP) opens an inspection.
04
Security & legal
Is ViolationWatch affiliated with the City of New York?
No. ViolationWatch is a private, independent company. We are not a government service and our alerts are not legal notices. Formal violations and fines are issued by the relevant city agency directly to the property owner.
Is my data private?
Yes. We never sell, share, or rent customer data. Address lists, account details, and alert logs are encrypted in transit and at rest. See the privacy policy for details.
Do you have a SOC 2 report?
SOC 2 Type I audit is in progress. Available on request for Portfolio customers under NDA.
Where is ViolationWatch hosted?
US-East (Northern Virginia) on AWS. Full redundancy, SOC 2 Type II infrastructure, 99.99% uptime SLA for Portfolio plans.
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