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 are 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. Bedbug filings are a separate annual record, worth their own minute.
FAQ
How do I look up complaints on a NYC building?
Enter the address in the search on this page. 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.