How to Check HPD Violations on a NYC Apartment Before You Sign

Before you sign a lease in New York City, one of the most important things you can do is check the building's HPD violation history. HPD — the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development — maintains public records of every code violation filed against every residential building in the five boroughs. This data is free, public, and often reveals serious problems that won't come up in a landlord walkthrough.

What is an HPD violation?

An HPD violation is issued when a building inspector finds that a property fails to meet the NYC Housing Maintenance Code or the Multiple Dwelling Law. Violations can be filed by inspectors responding to tenant complaints, proactive inspections, or referrals from other city agencies.

Violations range from minor maintenance issues to immediately dangerous conditions. HPD classifies them into three classes:

Class A — Non-Hazardous

The least serious category. Examples include peeling paint in common areas, broken mailboxes, or minor plumbing issues. These violations must be corrected within 90 days. While not dangerous, a large number of unresolved Class A violations can signal a landlord who doesn't maintain the property.

Class B — Hazardous

More serious violations that pose a potential health or safety risk. Common examples include mold, inadequate heat or hot water, vermin infestations, or broken window guards. These must be corrected within 30 days. Multiple open Class B violations are a significant red flag.

Class C — Immediately Hazardous

The most severe category. Class C violations represent conditions that are immediately dangerous to life, health, or safety — such as no heat in winter, lead paint hazards, severe structural damage, or lack of fire safety equipment. These must be corrected within 24 hours for the most serious issues, or 21 days for others.

Finding even one open Class C violation on a building should give you serious pause before signing.

What to look for when reading HPD records

Don't just look at the total violation count — context matters. Here's what to evaluate:

Open vs. closed violations

A building with 50 total violations but 0 open ones may be fine — the landlord has resolved every issue. A building with 10 violations and 8 still open is a much bigger concern. Focus on the open violation count first.

Recurring violation types

If you see the same type of violation filed year after year — heat complaints every winter, or mold violations every few years — that's a pattern, not an accident. It means the landlord has a history of not addressing root causes.

Age of open violations

An open Class B violation from two weeks ago is very different from one that's been unresolved for 18 months. Long-standing open violations indicate a landlord who ignores their legal obligations.

Class C violations at any point

Even resolved Class C violations are worth noting. If a building had immediately hazardous conditions in the past, it's worth asking why and whether the underlying issue was truly fixed.

How to check HPD violations for any NYC address

You can search HPD records yourself at the NYC Open Data portal, but the interface is not user-friendly — you'll need to know the exact borough, block, and lot (BBL) number, and results come back as raw data tables.

ApartmentIQ pulls the same HPD data and presents it in a readable format — showing open vs. closed violations, class breakdown, violation type, and date filed. It also pulls eviction history and ownership records from NYC ACRIS, so you get the full picture in one report for $0.99.

Red flags that should make you walk away

• Any open Class C violations — these are immediately hazardous by definition
• More than 5 open violations of any class with no sign of resolution
• Recurring heat complaints — especially in buildings with multiple units
• Mold violations that keep reappearing — cosmetic fixes without addressing moisture
• Violations spanning 10+ consecutive years — chronic negligence

Green flags — what a healthy building looks like

• Low total violation count relative to building size and age
• All violations resolved promptly (within the required timeframe)
• No Class C violations in recent years
• No eviction filings or very few (1–2 in 5+ years)

Don't skip this step

HPD data is public for a reason — New York City wants tenants to be able to make informed decisions. A 60-second check before signing can save you from months of living in substandard conditions, fighting for repairs, or dealing with a landlord who doesn't take their legal obligations seriously.

Enter any NYC address below to pull the full report instantly.