Know the building
before you sign, offer, or file.

Ask about any NYC property in plain English. Get violations, sales history, liens, permits, rent stabilization, and ownership from 20+ official city datasets across 9 city agencies. One query instead of an afternoon of tab-switching.

Try It Now — Free →

First 3 queries free, no signup · Open source (MIT) · Data synced daily from NYC Open Data

See how it works ↓ · View source on GitHub
For Claude Desktop / Claude Code power-users →

For Claude Desktop or Claude Code. Email yourself a token, paste it into your MCP config, restart Claude.

What an answer actually looks like

Real data for a real building — pulled live from the production database on June 12, 2026.

“Any red flags on 132 West 169th St, Bronx?”

132 West 169th Street, Bronx (BBL 2025180028) — 6-story, 25-unit multifamily, built 1931:

CheckResult
HPD violations100 open of 132 on record — incl. 21 Class C (immediately hazardous)
DOB violations10 active of 38 on record
ECB (OATH) violations16 active — $38,581 in penalties outstanding
Owner of record132 WEST 169 ST HSNG (PLUTO) — HPD registration lists the head officer & managing agent

Every answer is stamped with its data vintage. An automated weekly audit cross-checks our records field-by-field against the live city record — the June 12, 2026 audit matched 70,000+ records with zero contradictions.

Free dedicated lookups:  HPD violations · DOB & ECB violations · Property owner · Eviction history

Built and maintained by Cristian Cedacero, an independent engineer building in the open on NYC Open Data.

NYC due diligence lives across 20+ city data sources.

Before making an offer on an NYC property, you need to check violations, sales history, liens, permits, zoning, and ownership records. That data is scattered across roughly a dozen separate city portals.

20+
Separate city data sources

ACRIS, HPD, DOB, DOF, FDNY, NYPD, 311, DHCR — each with its own interface and search patterns.

4–6 hrs
Est. per-property research time

Manual searches across multiple systems, copying data between browser tabs and spreadsheets.

Overlooked
Deal-killing violations

Open HPD Class C violations, DOB stop-work orders, and tax liens — you inherit them when you close.

How It Works

1

Open the chat

No install, no signup — your first 3 queries are free in any browser. Just open the chat and start typing. (Prefer to use it inside Claude Desktop or Claude Code? That’s a two-minute developer setup.)

2

Ask about any NYC property

Type a street address or BBL (Borough-Block-Lot) in plain English — like “Any red flags on 123 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn?” The assistant picks the right tools and queries the city databases automatically.

3

Get a due diligence report

Receive a structured summary from official city records — violations, sales history, ownership, zoning, FAR analysis, liens, and more — in about 30 seconds.

Try It Now — Free →

Example queries

"Look up 350 5th Ave, Manhattan" "What HPD violations does BBL 1012150061 have?" "Show me the sales history for 170 West 85th Street" "Find comparable sales near zip 11215" "Give me a full due diligence report on BBL 3010060055" "Do any properties on this block have open HPD litigations?" "What permits have been filed at 100 Gold Street, Manhattan?" "Is 123 Atlantic Ave Brooklyn rent stabilized?" "What tax exemptions apply to 350 5th Ave, Manhattan?" "Show me neighborhood stats for zip 11215" "What complaints have tenants filed at this address?" "What fires have been reported near 37-06 80th Street, Queens?" "What crimes happened within 2 blocks of 350 5th Ave?" "Show me evictions at 123 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn" "What 311 complaints are open at this building?"

See It In Action

Describe what you need. Claude picks the tools, runs the queries, and writes back in plain English. No forms to fill in.

Quick Lookup

You ask Claude:

"Look up 350 5th Ave, Manhattan"
lookup_property

You get back:

  • Owner name and LLC structure
  • Building class, zoning district, and FAR utilization
  • Assessed value and DOF market estimate
  • Year built, stories, units, and gross floor area
  • Lot dimensions and tax class
Risk Assessment

You ask Claude:

"Any red flags on 123 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn? Open violations, liens, complaints?"
lookup_property get_property_issues get_liens_and_encumbrances get_hpd_complaints

You get back:

  • Open HPD violations by severity class (A / B / C)
  • DOB and ECB violations with penalty amounts
  • Outstanding tax liens and recorded mortgages
  • Tenant complaint history as a leading indicator
Full Due Diligence

You ask Claude:

"Full due diligence report on 250 West Street, Manhattan — before I sign anything"
analyze_property — runs all sub-queries concurrently

You get back:

  • Complete property profile and current ownership history
  • FAR analysis and development upside (or lack thereof)
  • Tax class, assessed value, and active exemptions (421a, J-51, STAR)
  • Open violations, HPD litigations, and outstanding liens
  • Rent stabilization unit count and trend by year
  • Comparable sales and neighborhood market context
  • Key observations — anything unusual flagged at the top

18 Tools, 20+ NYC Datasets

Each tool queries one or more official NYC public datasets. Building and property records only — no demographics, no tenant screening.

Property Lookup

lookup_property

Drop in any NYC address. Get owner of record, year built, zoning, lot size, unit count, building class, and assessed value. The baseline every other check runs against.

PLUTO · PAD · GeoClient (address resolution)

Violations & Fines

get_property_issues

Every open housing violation, building code violation, and unpaid ECB/OATH fine on the property. Filter by severity (Class C = immediately hazardous), status, or date. See instantly whether a building is in good standing or quietly racking up tens of thousands in penalties.

HPD Violations · DOB Violations · ECB Violations

Ownership & Sale History

get_property_history

The full chain of ownership through ACRIS deeds and DOF transfers. Every sale price, every flip, every LLC handoff going back decades. Spot rapid resales, repeated LLC handoffs, and ownership patterns worth investigating further.

DOF Sales · DOF Annual Sales · ACRIS

Tenant Complaints

get_hpd_complaints

What tenants are calling 311 and HPD about: heat, hot water, mold, pests, leaks, harassment. Complaints show up months before formal violations. A spike usually means the landlord has stopped maintaining the building.

HPD Complaints

HPD Lawsuits

get_hpd_litigations

Active and historical lawsuits HPD has brought against the landlord — typically for failing to fix serious violations. Open HPD litigation means the city is actively suing the owner. One of the strongest red flags in the dataset.

HPD Litigations

Landlord Registration

get_hpd_registration

Who’s legally on the hook for this building? Pulls the HPD registration: managing agent, head officer, owner contact, registration status. Expired or missing registrations are themselves a violation — and usually mean a building run off the books.

HPD Registrations

Permits & Construction

get_building_permits

Every DOB permit pulled on the property — what work was approved, when, by whom, and whether it was ever signed off. Spot unpermitted work, stalled renovations, gut jobs, or open jobs that could block a Certificate of Occupancy.

DOB Jobs (BIS)

Full coverage 2020–present. Some pre-2020 historical filings may be incomplete due to source-data limitations.

Liens & Encumbrances

get_liens_and_encumbrances

Outstanding mortgages, tax liens, mechanic’s liens, judgments, and other claims recorded in ACRIS. Anything that would have to be cleared at closing — or that signals a distressed owner — shows up here.

DOF Tax Liens · ACRIS

Tax Status

get_tax_info

Assessed value, tax class, annual bill, exemptions (J-51, 421-a, SCRIE/DRIE), and unpaid balance. Spot owners behind on taxes, properties headed to a lien sale, or buildings with abatements about to expire.

DOF Assessments · DOF Exemptions

Rent Stabilization

get_rent_stabilization

How many units in the building are rent-stabilized — and how that count has shifted year over year. A steady drop often signals illegal deregulation or buyout pressure. Essential for tenants checking their rights and buyers underwriting rent rolls.

Coverage is 2007–2017 and predates the 2019 HSTPA rent-law changes — it does not reflect current status. Verify with NY State DHCR before relying on it.

Rent Stabilization (via taxbills.nyc / JustFix.nyc, 2007–2017)

Comparable Sales

search_comps

Recent arms-length sales of similar buildings nearby. Filter by class, size, and distance. Strips out the non-market transfers (LLC swaps, family deeds) that skew listing-site comps. A research input, not a substitute for a licensed appraisal.

Research only. Not for valuations used in credit, lending, or appraisal decisions.

DOF Sales

Neighborhood Stats

search_neighborhood_stats

Zoom out from one building to the block — median sale prices, violation density, crime trends, permit activity, turnover rates. Tell whether your building’s issues are normal for the area or wildly out of line.

PLUTO · DOF Sales · HPD · Rent Stabilization

Fire Incidents (FDNY)

get_fdny_fire_incidents

Every FDNY response in the zip code — structural fires, electrical incidents, gas leaks, smoke conditions. Repeat incidents often point to aging wiring, deferred maintenance, or unsafe gas lines the seller won’t disclose. Note: the FDNY dataset reports by zip code, not single building.

FDNY NFIRS · NYC Open Data 8m42-w767

311 Complaints

get_311_complaints

Non-emergency complaints from neighbors — noise, sanitation, illegal construction, blocked sidewalks. The clearest signal of how a building runs day-to-day. A surge in 311s usually precedes DOB or HPD action by months.

NYC 311 · NYC Open Data erm2-nwe9

Eviction History

get_evictions

Marshal-executed evictions at the building, going back years. High counts — especially in rent-stabilized units — are a pattern that warrants closer review by counsel. Essential for tenants vetting a landlord, and for buyers underwriting tenant stability.

NYC Marshal Evictions · NYC Open Data 6z8x-wfk4

DOB Complaints

get_dob_complaints

Construction and safety complaints filed with the Department of Buildings — illegal work, structural concerns, facade hazards, elevator failures. These trigger fast inspector response and often escalate to violations or stop-work orders.

DOB Complaints · NYC Open Data eabe-havv

Neighborhood Crime

get_nypd_crime

NYPD complaint data within ~3 blocks of the building (adjustable). Felonies vs. misdemeanors, top offense types, year-over-year trend. Real geospatial search on the exact address — not a precinct-wide average that hides block-level risk.

NYPD Complaint Data · NYC Open Data 5uac-w243

Full Property Report

analyze_property

One click. Every core dataset, in parallel — building profile, ownership, sales, violations, complaints, litigations, tax, liens, rent stabilization, and comps. Returns a full due-diligence report with a plain-English summary flagging anything unusual. Run this before you sign or wire a deposit. (For neighborhood crime, fire incidents, and DOB complaints, use the dedicated tools above.)

Research only. Not for valuations used in credit, lending, or appraisal decisions.

PLUTO · HPD · DOB · DOF · ACRIS · Rent Stabilization

Data Sources

All data comes from NYC Open Data and city agency databases, loaded into PostgreSQL on Railway via the nycdb project as a local mirror for query performance. The NYC Open Data Socrata API is used as a fallback only when local tables are unavailable. Freshness depends on when each agency publishes and on our ingest pipeline catching the update. Verify any data point against the source agency before acting on it.

Dataset Agency What It Contains
PLUTODCPProperty profiles: zoning, lot area, building class, FAR, assessed values
PADDCPProperty Address Directory — address-to-BBL resolution
HPD ViolationsHPDHousing code violations by class (A/B/C) and status
HPD ComplaintsHPDTenant complaint records
HPD RegistrationsHPDBuilding owner/agent registration records
HPD LitigationsHPDHousing court cases filed by HPD
DOB ViolationsDOBBuilding code violations and disposition status
ECB ViolationsOATH/ECBEnvironmental Control Board violation records
DOF Rolling SalesDOFRecent property sales (rolling 12 months)
DOF Annual SalesDOFHistorical property sales (2003–present)
DOF AssessmentsDOFProperty tax valuations and assessment rolls
DOF ExemptionsDOFProperty tax exemption records
DOF Tax LiensDOFProperties with outstanding tax liens
Rent Stabilizationtaxbills.nyc / JustFix.nyc (derived from DOF)Rent-stabilized unit counts by building (2007–2017)
ACRISDOF/ACRISDeeds, mortgages, liens, satisfactions, UCC filings
FDNY Fire IncidentsFDNYFire & emergency incident history by zip/borough (2013–present)
311 Service Requests311/DOITTNoise, rodents, heat, dumping, and 200+ complaint types
Marshal EvictionsDOIExecuted eviction records by address, residential & commercial (2017–present)
DOB ComplaintsDOBComplaints filed with DOB before formal violations
NYPD Crime DataNYPDComplaint records by geospatial radius, felony/misdemeanor/violation (2006–present)

NYC Property Intel is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the City of New York, any city agency, or the nycdb open-source project. All datasets are loaded into PostgreSQL. Update frequency varies by source and by our ingest pipeline; users should verify any record against the source agency before relying on it. DOB job filings have full coverage from 2020 onward; some pre-2020 historical filings may be incomplete due to source-data limitations. Data is provided “as is” under the NYC Open Data Terms of Use. Trademarks (PLUTO, ACRIS, ZoLa, etc.) belong to their respective owners.

For Developers — Use It Inside Claude (optional)

You don’t need any of this to use NYC Property Intel. Most people just use the web chat — no install, no setup, 3 free queries with no signup. The steps below are only if you want to run the tool directly inside Claude Desktop or Claude Code.

Just want to try it? Skip the install. The web chat works in any browser.
Open the web chat →

1. Clone and install dependencies

git clone https://github.com/ccedacero/nyc-property-intel.git
cd nyc-property-intel
uv sync

2. Set up PostgreSQL and load data

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your database credentials

# Option A: Restore from dump (~10 min)
pg_restore -U nycdb -d nycdb --no-owner --jobs=4 data/nycdb.dump

# Option B: Load from source (~2.5 hours)
./scripts/seed_nycdb.sh

3. Add to Claude

Self-host setup. Runs the server against your own local Postgres. You load NYC public data yourself via nycdb (steps 1–2 above, ~2.5 hours). For a no-setup option, use the Hosted tab.

Add to claude_desktop_config.json (Settings > Developer > Edit Config):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nyc-property-intel": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["run", "nyc-property-intel"],
      "cwd": "/absolute/path/to/nyc-property-intel",
      "env": {
        "DATABASE_URL": "postgresql://nycdb:nycdb@localhost:5432/nycdb"
      }
    }
  }
}

Self-host setup. Same as Claude Desktop, but for Claude Code. Requires the server running locally against your own Postgres. For a no-setup option, use the Hosted tab.

The .mcp.json file auto-registers when you open the project directory. Or add manually to ~/.claude.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nyc-property-intel": {
      "command": "uv",
      "args": ["run", "nyc-property-intel"],
      "cwd": "/absolute/path/to/nyc-property-intel"
    }
  }
}

Recommended for most users. We host the server and database. You just paste a token into your Claude Desktop or Claude Code config — no local Postgres, no nycdb load. Skip steps 1 and 2 above.

No install. Sign up and we’ll email your access token and setup steps.

Once you have your token:

Claude Code — one command:

claude mcp add --transport http nyc-property-intel \
  "https://nyc-property-intel-production.up.railway.app/mcp" \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  --scope user

Claude Desktop — add to claude_desktop_config.json (Settings → Developer → Edit Config):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nyc-property-intel": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y", "mcp-remote",
        "https://nyc-property-intel-production.up.railway.app/mcp",
        "--header", "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Replace YOUR_TOKEN with the token from your welcome email. Requires Node.js.

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.12+
  • uv package manager
  • PostgreSQL 16+
  • nycdb CLI (for loading data from source)

Fair Housing Compliance

NYC Property Intel provides building and property data from public city records. It does not provide, and actively refuses to provide, any information that could facilitate housing discrimination.

What This Tool Will Not Do

  • Provide demographic data about neighborhoods or building occupants
  • Screen or evaluate tenants or prospective tenants
  • Perform analysis based on the race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, partnership status, citizenship or immigration status, lawful source of income, uniformed service, arrest or conviction record, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law
  • Rank neighborhoods by “desirability” based on resident characteristics
  • Provide income profiling or socioeconomic analysis of occupants

What This Tool Does

  • Surfaces building-level public records: violations, permits, sales, zoning
  • Shows property ownership from recorded deeds (ACRIS public records)
  • Reports tax assessment data from the Department of Finance
  • Calculates development potential from zoning and FAR data
  • Identifies regulatory risk from open violations and liens

NYC Property Intel is designed and operated in compliance with the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. §§ 3601–3619), the New York State Human Rights Law (N.Y. Exec. Law § 296), and the New York City Human Rights Law (N.Y.C. Admin. Code § 8-107).

For the people who actually read the records

NYC Property Intel is a software research tool, not a licensed real estate broker, salesperson, or appraiser. Use the data; bring your own professionals.

For Professionals

Investors

Check open HPD and DOB violations, outstanding liens, FAR utilization, and recorded ownership before you sign a letter of intent.

Attorneys

Pull ACRIS deed history, violation records, and tax lien data during transaction due diligence. Cross-reference ownership records across city databases without switching tabs.

Brokers

Pull sales history, ownership, and recent comps from official city records during pre-listing research. Cite the raw data alongside your own market analysis.

Property Developers

Check FAR utilization, existing permits, open stop-work orders, and zoning before a letter of intent. Know the regulatory picture before committing to a deal.

For Renters & Homebuyers

Renters & Homebuyers

Know before you sign. Before you commit to a lease or put in an offer, pull the building’s full history: housing-code violations (HPD), neighbor 311 complaints, past evictions, rent-stabilization status, and fire incidents (FDNY). See what listings typically don’t include.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is NYC Property Intel free?

Yes, in tiers: (1) anyone can try 3 free queries in the chat with no signup at all (resets daily); (2) after that, sign up for free to get a personal token good for 10 queries per day for 30 days (~300 total queries; including up to 5 full due-diligence reports per day); (3) self-host is unlimited under the MIT license. Professional and team plans with higher rate limits are in development — sign up and we’ll reach out when they launch.

What data sources does NYC Property Intel use?

NYC Property Intel aggregates data from 20+ official NYC public record datasets: PLUTO (property profiles), HPD violations and complaints, DOB violations and permits, DOF sales records, ACRIS deed transfers, rent stabilization data, tax assessments, FDNY fire incidents, NYPD crime complaints, 311 service requests, marshal eviction records, and more. All data is loaded from NYC Open Data into PostgreSQL via the nycdb project as a local mirror for query performance. The Socrata API is used as a fallback only.

What is a BBL number and how do I find it?

BBL stands for Borough-Block-Lot — the unique 10-digit identifier for every tax lot in New York City. For example, 1-00835-0001 is a Manhattan property (Borough 1, Block 835, Lot 1). You can find a property’s BBL by asking Claude: “Look up [address]” — the lookup_property tool resolves any NYC street address to its canonical BBL automatically. BBLs are also available via NYC’s ZoLa map and the ACRIS website.

How do I check NYC building violations?

Ask Claude: “What violations does [address] have?” The get_property_issues tool returns HPD housing violations (Class A non-hazardous, Class B hazardous, Class C immediately hazardous), DOB building code violations, and ECB/OATH monetary penalties. Results include open/closed status, issue date, and penalty amounts. Class C violations are the most serious — they can block a Certificate of Occupancy and transfer liability to the buyer at closing.

How do I check NYC property tax liens?

Ask Claude: “Does [address] have any tax liens?” The get_liens_and_encumbrances tool returns outstanding DOF tax liens from the annual lien sale list and ACRIS mortgage records — lender names, outstanding amounts, and satisfaction status. Active tax liens follow the property — you inherit them when you close. Worth checking before any offer.

How do I find NYC rent stabilized buildings?

Ask Claude: “Is [address] rent stabilized?” The get_rent_stabilization tool returns rent-stabilized unit counts by year for 2007–2017, derived from NYC DOF property tax bills via taxbills.nyc / JustFix.nyc. A declining count over time may indicate deregulation — a critical factor in cash-flow underwriting for multifamily properties. (2018–present coverage planned.)

What is ACRIS in NYC?

ACRIS (Automated City Register Information System) is the NYC Department of Finance’s database of recorded property documents — deeds, mortgages, liens, satisfactions, and UCC filings going back to 1966. NYC Property Intel queries ACRIS data to show ownership transfer history, recorded mortgages, and lien satisfactions. Ask Claude: “Show me the deed history for [address]” or “What mortgages are recorded on [address]?”

What is the difference between HPD, DOB, and ECB violations?

HPD violations are housing code violations issued by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, classified as A (non-hazardous), B (hazardous), or C (immediately hazardous). DOB violations are building code violations from the Department of Buildings. ECB violations are issued by the Environmental Control Board (now OATH) for building, fire, and environmental infractions — they carry monetary penalties. All three are surfaced by the get_property_issues tool.

Is NYC Property Intel a property appraisal tool?

No. NYC Property Intel is a due diligence research tool, not an appraisal tool. It surfaces public record data for informational purposes only. It does not estimate property values and must not be used as a substitute for a licensed appraisal or for credit decisions. Always consult a licensed appraiser for valuation opinions.

Does NYC Property Intel comply with fair housing law?

Yes. NYC Property Intel provides building and property data from public city records only. It does not provide demographic data, tenant screening, or any analysis based on protected characteristics. It operates in compliance with the Fair Housing Act, the New York State Human Rights Law, and the NYC Human Rights Law. See the Fair Housing section for full details.

How do I look up building permits in NYC?

NYC building permits are filed with the Department of Buildings (DOB) and recorded in the BIS (Building Information System). Using NYC Property Intel’s get_building_permits tool, you can retrieve all DOB job filings for a property — new buildings, alterations, demolitions, and sign permits — including scope of work, estimated cost, job status, and applicant name. Ask Claude: “What permits have been filed at [address]?”

Can AI access NYC public property records?

Yes. NYC Property Intel is an MCP server that gives Claude AI direct access to 20+ NYC public record datasets. Claude can look up properties, check violations, pull sales history, find comparable sales, and generate comprehensive due-diligence reports — all from public city records. Available as a hosted service or self-hosted via the open-source repo.

Look up a building.

Ask about any NYC property in plain English — no signup needed for your first 3 queries.

Try It Now — Free →

First 3 queries free, no signup · Open source (MIT)

Power-user instead? Get a token for Claude Desktop / Code →