You got a letter about your building. Here is what it means.
A violation stays open until the correction is certified, and until then it can hold up a sale, a refinance or a permit. Look the building up. You will see the open violations on that address and, where the city's data can tell, whether they are moving.
Or get one introduction to a firm that files it
New York City publishes every housing and buildings violation it issues, and firms that clear violations read that data to find owners who might want help. The letter you got cites it. A building with nothing open is worth knowing about too. Nothing on this page requires talking to anyone.
The city’s own portals.
These are theirs, not ours, and they are free.
HPD Online
Housing maintenance violations: heat, water, lead paint, vermin. Search by address.
DOB BIS
Construction, permit and equipment matters. Search by address or BIN.
What the classes mean
Class C is immediately hazardous and carries the most consequence. Class B is hazardous. A violation stays open until it is corrected and certified.
How correction actually works.
- 1. Fix the condition. Yourself or with a contractor, depending on the item.
- 2. Certify the correction with the agency. HPD and DOB each have their own filing; deadlines and forms differ by violation class.
- 3. Confirm it cleared. The status changes when the agency accepts the certification. Until then the violation stays open.
Many owners handle this themselves. Firms exist because this paperwork is their daily work. This page is information, not legal advice.
The citywide numbers.
Real counts from the same city data your letter cites.
Certification, by class
Of the 2,756,334 Class A, B and C violations in HPD's data, 1,181,366 have ever been certified corrected, 42.9%. The certification came a median of 28 days after the inspection, across the three classes.
| Class | Violations | Ever certified | Median days to certify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class A | 683,983 | 31.7% | 51 |
| Class B | 1,188,260 | 47.2% | 38 |
| Class C | 884,091 | 45.6% | 16 |
Leaves out HPD's registration and Alternative Enforcement Program orders (Class I), which clear by filing, not by certification.
You are not unusual
138,488 distinct owners have at least one HPD violation. 121,355, 87.6%, have more than one; only 17,133 have exactly one. The median owner has 5 violations. Owners are counted by who owns each address now, and some violations may predate the current owner.
What commonly follows a Notice of Violation
- Dismissed: 925,604, 31.2% of every HPD violation we hold, Class I orders included
- Closed: 892,881, 30.1% of every HPD violation we hold, Class I orders included
- Notice sent: 663,254, 22.3% of every HPD violation we hold, Class I orders included
- Info notice sent: 103,283, 3.5% of every HPD violation we hold, Class I orders included
- No access to reinspect (first try): 95,513, 3.2% of every HPD violation we hold, Class I orders included
- Not complied with: 90,547, 3.1% of every HPD violation we hold, Class I orders included
From HPD's own violation data: 2,967,877 violations in our copy. How the counts are made.
If you want help: one firm, only if you ask.
We work with a small number of NYC compliance firms and check what they cite. Tell us once, and we introduce you to one firm, not a list. If none we would stand behind covers your building, we tell you that instead. Your details go to that one firm and nowhere else. We keep no list and sell nothing.