NYC Building Complaints Lookup
Enter any NYC address and see what tenants and neighbors have actually reported about the building.
Complaints vs. violations
A complaint is what someone reported. A violation is what an inspector confirmed. They're different records, and they tell you different things: violations are the official verdicts, while complaints are the earlier, more honest signal — they show what the people living there actually pick up the phone about. Not every complaint becomes a violation, and that's fine; you're reading for pattern, not verdicts.
How complaints work in NYC
Most complaints start with 311 and get routed to the right agency — housing conditions to HPD, construction and structural issues to DOB. The complaint, its date, and what happened next all land on the building's public record. One complaint is a Tuesday. The same complaint, month after month, is the building describing itself.
What to look for
Heat and hot water complaints clustered in winter — the clearest pattern in any building file, because a radiator that quits every January shows up nowhere else. Noise complaints are their own record; we cover them separately. Pest reports, leaks, and anything filed repeatedly from the same address deserve the same read: frequency and recency over raw count.
FAQ
How do I look up complaints on a NYC building?
Enter the address in the search above. The building's report shows complaints alongside violations, filings, litigation, and landlord history — read and translated into a clear verdict. Your first three reports are full reports, free.
What's the difference between a complaint and a violation?
A complaint is a report; a violation is a confirmed condition. Complaints show what residents experience; violations show what inspectors verified. Both belong in the read.
Do complaints mean a building is bad?
Not by themselves. Every building generates some. The signal is repetition — the same category, again and again, across seasons or years.
Can I see who filed a complaint?
No — complainant identities aren't part of the public record. The building's complaint history is public; the people behind it stay anonymous.