HPD COMPLAINTS
Look up the complaints on any NYC building.
Every 311 call about heat, pests, leaks, or mold lands as an HPD complaint on the address — dated, categorized, and permanent. Here's what the record means and how to read it in five minutes.
A complaint is a phone call. A violation is a finding.
Most people use the two words interchangeably. On the record, they're different stages of the same story.
The complaint
Someone calls 311 about heat, hot water, pests, mold, or leaks. HPD logs it against the address with a date and a category. It stays there whether or not anything is ever confirmed.
The inspection
HPD sends an inspector for most categories. If they can't get in or the problem was fixed by the time they arrive, the complaint closes without a violation — and that's normal, not suspicious.
The violation
The condition the city confirmed. Class A minor gets 90 days to fix, Class B hazardous gets 30, Class C immediately hazardous gets 21 — heat and hot water, 24 hours from notice.
Sources: NYC HPD complaint and violation data; NYC Housing Maintenance Code correction periods.
Start with HPD Online. Then go one layer deeper.
HPD Online is the city's own lookup tool, and it does show the complaints and violations filed against an address — use it directly if HPD's record is all you need.
Three things it won't tell you: what the Department of Buildings was permitting and building at the same address, who is actually behind the LLC on the registration, and how quickly this particular owner closes what gets opened — measured against the citywide norm.
That last one is the number owners would rather you not see. A building with a dozen violations and a fast fix history is a different risk than a building with six violations that sat open all winter.
Reading a complaint record like someone who lives there
Count the repeats, not the total
A hundred complaints over forty years is a big building. The same five categories coming back every year is a building where the underlying problem never got fixed.
Follow each complaint to its end
Complaint with no violation usually means no entry or a fast fix. A violation means the city confirmed it. What matters is what happened after — and how long it took.
Watch the open ones
An immediately hazardous violation that sat open for months says more about the owner than a clean average ever will. Dates do the talking.
Then ask who's behind it
The LLC on the registration is a door, not an answer. Brix connects it to the people and companies behind the name, plus every building they touch.
Common questions
How do I look up HPD complaints for a building?
Search the address. HPD Online, the city's own tool, lists the complaints and violations filed against any address. Brix shows the same HPD record and puts it next to the building's DOB filings, who is registered as the owner, and how long past problems took to fix.
Does HPD Online show complaints?
Yes. HPD Online shows both complaints and violations for an address, and it is worth using directly if HPD's own record is all you need. What it does not show is the rest of the picture: DOB construction and permit activity, the people behind an LLC owner, and how quickly this owner has actually closed things out.
What's the difference between an HPD complaint and a violation?
A complaint is a report — someone called 311 about heat, pests, leaks, or mold, and it landed on the address with a date. A violation is a finding — an HPD inspector came out, confirmed the condition, and put it on the owner with a legal deadline to fix it. Complaints without violations usually mean no entry, a quick fix, or nothing found.
How long does a landlord have to fix an HPD violation?
It depends on the class. Class A (non-hazardous) allows 90 days. Class B (hazardous) allows 30. Class C (immediately hazardous) allows 21 days — and for heat or hot water, service must be restored within 24 hours of the owner getting notice. The clock starts at the violation, not at your first phone call.
Does calling 311 put a complaint on the building?
Yes. A 311 call creates a dated complaint attached to the address, and HPD dispatches an inspector for most categories. Repeated dated entries are what build a pattern — one heat complaint is a cold night; heat complaints every winter is a boiler the owner already knows about.
Why does a complaint show closed with no violation?
The inspector could not get in, the condition was already fixed by the time they arrived, or nothing they could cite was found. The complaint still happened and still belongs to the address — read it as one data point, not a verdict. The pattern across years is what tells you something.
See the whole record, not just the complaints.
Every complaint and violation on the address, with dates and fix times — plus DOB filings and who's behind the owner of record.
Looking for a company or LLC instead of one address? Search the landlord directory →