NYC Property Due Diligence
from Public Records

An MCP server that gives Claude AI access to 20+ NYC public record databases. Violations, sales history, ownership, zoning, fire history, crime data — from one query.

Free · No credit card · Open source (MIT)

See how it works ↓ · View on GitHub

Due Diligence Takes Too Long

Before making an offer on an NYC property, you need to check violations, sales history, liens, permits, zoning, and ownership records. That data lives across dozens of separate city websites.

20+
Separate city data sources

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

4–6 hrs
Per-property research time

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

Hidden
Deal-killing violations

Open HPD Class C violations, DOB stop-work orders, and tax liens transfer to the buyer at closing.

How It Works

1

Install the MCP server

Clone the repo, load NYC public data into PostgreSQL, and add one config entry to Claude Desktop or Claude Code.

2

Ask Claude about any NYC property

Use a street address or BBL (Borough-Block-Lot). Claude calls the right tools automatically.

3

Get a due diligence report

Receive a structured summary from public city records — violations, sales history, zoning, FAR analysis, and more.

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 does BBL 1008350001 have?" "Show me neighborhood stats for zip 11215" "What complaints have tenants filed at this address?" "Has there been a fire at 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?"

18 Tools for Complete Due Diligence

Each tool queries official NYC public record data. Building and property data only — no demographic information, no tenant screening.

lookup_property

Look up a property by address or BBL. Returns the full profile: owner, building class, zoning, lot dimensions, assessed values, year built. Always call this first — you need a BBL before using other tools.

PLUTO · PAD · GeoClient

get_property_issues

HPD housing violations, DOB building code violations, and ECB/OATH fines. Filter by severity class (A/B/C), status (open/closed), and date range. Class C violations are immediately hazardous.

HPD Violations · DOB Violations · ECB Violations

get_property_history

Sales records from DOF and ownership transfers from ACRIS deed records. See sale prices, dates, buyer/seller names, and document types going back to 2003.

DOF Sales · DOF Annual Sales · ACRIS

get_hpd_complaints

Tenant-reported complaints from HPD. Complaints are leading indicators — they show what tenants are reporting before formal violations are issued. Filter by category, status, and date.

HPD Complaints

get_hpd_litigations

Housing court cases filed by HPD against building owners. Shows case types, open judgements, and harassment findings. A litigated building is a serious red flag.

HPD Litigations

get_hpd_registration

Building owner and agent registration records. Who is legally registered as the owner, managing agent, and head officer? Useful for identifying bad actors and LLC ownership structures.

HPD Registrations

get_building_permits

DOB permit and job filings: new buildings, alterations, demolitions, and sign permits. See scope of work, estimated cost, job status, and applicant name.

DOB Jobs (BIS)

get_liens_and_encumbrances

DOF tax lien sale list entries and ACRIS mortgage records. Shows outstanding liens, lender names, amounts, and satisfactions. Essential for assessing a property’s debt profile.

DOF Tax Liens · ACRIS

get_tax_info

Property tax assessments, market value estimates, and active exemptions. Shows tax class, assessed values (land and total), taxable value, and programs like 421a, J-51, or STAR.

DOF Assessments · DOF Exemptions

get_rent_stabilization

Rent-stabilized unit counts by year (2007–2017). See how many units were stabilized, the trend over time, and whether the building appears to have destabilized units.

Rent Stabilization (HCR/RGB)

search_comps

Find comparable sales in the same zip code. Filter by building class, date range, and price. Returns price per square foot, building details, and quarterly market trend statistics.

DOF Sales

search_neighborhood_stats

Area-level aggregates by zip code or neighborhood name. Property stock counts, median sale prices, violation rates, rent stabilization share, and quarterly price trends.

PLUTO · DOF Sales · HPD · Rent Stabilization

get_fdny_fire_incidents

FDNY fire and emergency incident history for a property address. Fire type, highest alarm level, spread description, units on scene, duration, and civilian/firefighter casualties. Queried live from NYC Open Data.

FDNY NFIRS · NYC Open Data 8m42-w767

get_311_complaints

311 service request complaints at or near a property. Covers noise, rodents, illegal dumping, heat/hot water, graffiti, illegal parking, and ~200 other complaint types. Leading indicator of neighborhood quality and active building issues.

NYC 311 · NYC Open Data erm2-nwe9

get_evictions

Marshal-executed evictions by address. Shows residential vs. commercial breakdown, apartment-level data, and marshal information. High eviction rates signal tenant instability and cash-flow risk. Data from 2017 onward.

NYC Marshal Evictions · NYC Open Data 6z8x-wfk4

get_dob_complaints

Complaints filed directly with the Department of Buildings — the earliest public signal of construction or safety issues, before formal violations are issued. Includes category descriptions (illegal conversion, no permit, elevator defects, etc.).

DOB Complaints · NYC Open Data eabe-havv

get_nypd_crime

NYPD crime complaints within a configurable radius of the property (default 300 m ≈ 3 blocks). Uses geospatial radius search on the property’s exact coordinates. Returns felony/misdemeanor breakdown, top offense types, and year-over-year trend.

NYPD Complaint Data · NYC Open Data 5uac-w243

analyze_property

The full picture. Runs all sub-queries concurrently and returns a comprehensive summary: property profile, financial snapshot, development potential (FAR analysis), risk factors, tax status, rent stabilization, comparable market data, and key observations flagging anything unusual.

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

Data Sources

Core data is sourced from official NYC Open Data and city agency databases via the nycdb project (~19 million rows loaded into PostgreSQL). Five additional datasets — FDNY, 311, evictions, DOB complaints, and NYPD crime — are queried live via the Socrata Open Data API.

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 StabilizationHCR/RGBRent-stabilized unit counts by building
ACRISDOF/ACRISDeeds, mortgages, liens, satisfactions, UCC filings
FDNY Fire IncidentsFDNYFire & emergency incident history by address (2013–present, real-time API)
311 Service Requests311/DOITTNoise, rodents, heat, dumping, and 200+ complaint types (real-time API)
Marshal EvictionsDOIExecuted eviction records by address, residential & commercial (2017–present, real-time API)
DOB ComplaintsDOBComplaints filed with DOB before formal violations (real-time API)
NYPD Crime DataNYPDComplaint records by geospatial radius, felony/misdemeanor/violation (2006–present, real-time API)

NYC Property Intel is not affiliated with the City of New York or any city agency. Update frequency varies by source: PLUTO quarterly, DOF sales monthly, HPD/DOB violations daily. Real-time API datasets (FDNY, 311, evictions, DOB complaints, NYPD crime) reflect live NYC Open Data.

Installation

Use the Hosted (SSE) tab below to connect without any local setup, or follow steps 1–3 to run the server yourself.

1. Clone and install dependencies

git clone https://github.com/nycpropertyintel/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

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"
      }
    }
  }
}

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"
    }
  }
}

No local setup required — connect directly to the hosted server via SSE.

Claude Desktop — add to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nyc-property-intel": {
      "url": "https://nyc-property-intel-production.up.railway.app/sse"
    }
  }
}

Claude Code — one command:

claude mcp add --transport sse nyc-property-intel \
  https://nyc-property-intel-production.up.railway.app/sse

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, marital status, citizenship status, lawful source of income, or any other protected characteristic of any person
  • 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).

Built for NYC Real Estate Professionals

Investors

Screen properties for violations, liens, and development potential before making offers. Understand a building's regulatory risk profile from public records.

Attorneys

Pull ACRIS deed history, violation records, and tax lien data during transaction due diligence. Cross-reference ownership records across city databases.

Brokers

Quickly research building details, sales history, and comparable transactions from official city records when evaluating listings.