How to check a building before renting
The full method: every record to read before you sign, step by step.
Resource library
Resources
Plain-language guides to every record NYC keeps on a building: violations, complaints, pests, landlords. Browse by topic or by date.
Start here
10 things you can look up
Boilers, facades, lead lines, litigation: the records almost nobody checks.
Is my building safe?
Vetting a building the manual way across five city portals, and the shortcut.
Which agency does what
HPD, DOB, FDNY, DOHMH, ECB. Who issues what, and where it lands.
Five red flags to catch
The warning signs that separate a normal old building from a problem one.
Violations & complaints
HPD Violations
Housing-code violations: heat, pests, mold, leaks. Check any address.
DOB Violations
Structural, construction, and equipment violations from the Department of Buildings.
Violation classes (A/B/C)
What each class means, the repair deadlines, and why the open date matters.
“Closed” doesn't mean fixed
What HPD violation statuses (closed, certified, dismissed) actually mean.
Building complaints
What tenants and neighbors reported to 311, by address.
Noise complaints
The building's noise-complaint history, before you're the one filing them.
Vacate orders
When the city orders people out of a building: full vs. partial, and why.
Health & safety
Mold
The paper trail mold leaves even when the wall looks freshly painted.
Lead paint
Banned since 1960, still on the walls: what the record shows, and the law.
Lead in water
The pipe between the water main and the building, and why “unknown” matters.
Heat & the heat law
Heat-season dates, the exact temperature rules, and what to do about violations.
Pests
Bedbug history
The annual bedbug filings landlords must report, by address.
Rats & rodents
Health-department inspections and failed-for-rat-activity findings.
Building systems
Elevators, boilers, gas
The DOB device records that show a building's mechanical health.
Scaffolding & facades
Sidewalk sheds, Local Law 11, and what an “unsafe” facade status means.
Renovation permits
How to check what work was actually filed, and what it means when nothing was.
How VeriCrib works
What goes into a report
The five pillars, what each one covers, and why reviews are kept out of the verdict.
Landlords & ownership
Look up a landlord
Who's really behind the LLC: registration, portfolio, and record.
Reading a landlord's record
The five signals on a landlord's record, worst first.
Managing agent vs. owner
Who the registered managing agent is, how the role differs from the owner, and why records group under it.
Directories & maps
Look up a managing agent
Search 29,000+ NYC management companies. Multi-building portfolios get a full record; single-building owners take you straight to the building.
Look up a landlord
Search 10,000+ NYC landlords with multi-property portfolios and see their full record across everything they hold.
See where problems concentrate
A citywide map of rats, heat failures, mold, noise, crime and construction across 59 areas of New York.
Latest posts
Managing Agent or Landlord? Who Actually Runs Your Building
The managing agent runs the building. The owner holds the deed. NYC's HPD registration names both, and the difference decides who you call and who answers for what.
Read moreFresh Paint, Old Mold: What the Record Shows
Mold leaves a paper trail even when the wall looks clean: HPD violations, 311 complaints, and Local Law 55. How to read a building's mold history before you sign.
Read more"Gut Renovated." Sure. We Checked the Permits.
"Gut renovated" is a marketing term. A DOB permit is a record. How to check what work was actually filed on a building, and what it means when nothing was.
Read moreLead Paint Is Still on NYC Walls. Here's What the Record Shows.
Lead paint has been banned in NYC housing since 1960, and the last two years of records still show tens of thousands of lead violations. What the law requires, and how to check a building.
Read moreYour Water Runs Through a Pipe the City Marked "Unknown."
117,561 NYC service lines are confirmed lead, and 114,473 more are marked "status unknown." What service lines are, why the material matters, and how to check your building's.
Read moreFive Red Flags to Catch Before You Sign an NYC Lease
The five public-record warning signs that separate a normal old building from a problem one: aged-open Class C violations, vacate orders, eviction patterns, runaway complaints, and tenant litigation. How to read each, before you sign.
Read moreElevators, Boilers, Gas Lines: The Building's Machines Have Records Too
Elevators, boilers, and gas lines each carry their own DOB safety records, separate from housing violations. What a device violation shows, and how to check before you sign.
Read moreWhat a Vacate Order Actually Means (and Why It's the Worst Line in a Building's File)
A vacate order means the city ordered people out of a building. Full vs. partial, who issues them and why, what happens to tenants, and why a rescinded order still matters.
Read moreWhy Is There Scaffolding on My Building? (And Why Has It Been There Since Before You Moved In?)
Sidewalk sheds, facade inspections, and Local Law 11: why NYC buildings grow scaffolding, what "unsafe" status actually means, and how to check your building's facade record.
Read moreYour Landlord Has a Record. Here's How to Read It.
The building's record tells you what happened. The landlord's record tells you whether it'll happen again. The five signals worth reading, worst first.
Read more10 Things You Didn't Know You Could Look Up About Your Apartment (But Definitely Should)
Boiler defects, facade status, elevator records, lead service lines, vacate orders, landlord litigation: ten public records on your building you've never checked.
Read moreClosed Doesn't Mean Fixed. How to Actually Read a Violation Record.
Closed, certified, dismissed, false certification: what HPD violation statuses actually mean, and why a clean-looking record deserves a second read.
Read moreHow to Check a Building Before Renting in NYC
Every NYC building has a file: violations, complaints, bedbug filings, landlord history. Here's how to read it before you sign, step by step.
Read moreClass C Means Someone Could Die. A Quick Guide to NYC Violation Classes.
Class A, B, and C HPD violations, decoded: what each class means, the legal repair deadlines, and why the open date matters more than the count.
Read moreStill Googling "Is My Building Safe Reddit"? There's a Better Way.
The manual way to check a NYC building (HPD Online, DOB, FDNY, DOHMH, 311) takes five portals that don't talk to each other. Here's the walkthrough, and the shortcut.
Read moreThe Radiator Rules: NYC's Heat Law, Decoded
NYC's heat law, decoded: heat season dates, the exact temperature rules, what to do when the heat is off, and how to check a building's heat history before you sign.
Read moreHPD, DOB, FDNY, DOHMH, ECB... WTF? A No-BS Guide to the Agencies That Know More About Your Building Than You Do.
What HPD, DOB, FDNY, DOHMH, and ECB actually do, what violations each one issues, and where their records live: the NYC agency alphabet, decoded for renters.
Read more
FAQ
What can I check about a NYC building?
Violations (HPD and DOB), complaints, noise, bedbug filings, rodent inspections, and landlord/ownership records, all public, all by address. VeriCrib reads them together into one report.
Is this free?
The guides are free to read, and your first three full building reports are free. After that, one-time passes. Never a subscription.
Do I need the address or the landlord name?
The address. Enter any NYC address and VeriCrib pulls the building's full record, including who owns it.
What's the difference between a guide and a full report?
Each guide explains one record type. A full report reads every source together and gives you a verdict: what's on file, what matters, what's noise.