How to check a building before renting
The full method: every record to read before you sign, step by step.
Resources
Plain-language guides to everything NYC tracks about a building — violations, complaints, pests, landlords — and how to check any address yourself.
Everything the city records about a building, explained. Browse by topic, or search any address to see it all in one report.
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.
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.
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.