Frequently asked questions
The questions we actually get asked — including the ones where the honest answer is "the data cannot tell you that".
Using the site
Is it really free? What is the catch?
It is free, there is no account, and there is no paywall. The catch, such as it is, is advertising: ads shown alongside property reports pay for the site. We do not sell your searches, and there is no premium tier holding back the good data.
Do I need to register?
No. There is no login, no email capture and no sign-up. Type an address and you get a report. We record an IP address and a per-day request count purely to stop abuse — see the privacy policy.
Which properties are covered?
Every tax lot in the five boroughs of New York City — around a million of them. Nothing outside New York City.
Should I search by address or by parcel number?
By BBL (the ten-digit parcel number) if you have it, because it is unambiguous. Addresses are messier than people expect: corner buildings have two, some lots have several, and some buildings share one. If an address search returns something that surprises you, find the BBL and search that instead.
The data
Where does the data come from?
Entirely from New York City's own public records, published as open data by the city. We do not license private data and we do not estimate values with a model. Full detail in the methodology.
How current is it?
A report reflects what the city had published at the moment it was generated. The records themselves are filed and updated on the city's schedule, not ours, and lag is normal — a recent sale or a just-closed violation may not appear for some time.
Are you affiliated with the city?
No. PropertyDiSHi is an independent private site. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the City of New York or any public body. We republish and analyse public records; we do not speak for anyone.
Reading a report
Why does the last sale show $0?
Because that is what was recorded. Transfers between related parties, estate settlements and corrective filings are legitimately recorded at $0 or a nominal $10. It is not an error and it is not a bargain — it means the property has not had an arm's-length recorded sale, and that every price ratio derived from it is meaningless.
Why do you only show open violations?
Because a closed violation is a problem that was raised and then fixed. Every century-old building has accumulated hundreds of them, and counting them tells you about the building's age, not its condition. Publishing that number would be noise dressed up as a fact, so we leave it out entirely. What we show is what is open right now.
This building has hundreds of open violations. Is it falling down?
Not necessarily — but the number only becomes meaningful when you divide it by the number of apartments. Three hundred open violations across three hundred units is an ordinary large building; three hundred across thirty units is a badly-run one. Then read the outstanding balance alongside it: a heavy open count with almost no money attached usually means conditions are being reported and never certified as corrected — a maintenance and management problem rather than a financial one. See how to read a report.
Does the outstanding balance mean that is what the owner owes?
No, and this is the single most misread figure on the site. That balance covers enforcement penalties only. It does not include unpaid property tax or water and sewer arrears, which are often far larger. A property can show a small penalty balance and still owe the city a great deal.
The report shows unused floor-area ratio. Can I build that?
Maybe — treat it as a ceiling, not a plan. Unused FAR is the gap between what is built and what the zoning permits, but height limits, setbacks, lot coverage, landmark status and sitting tenants can all reduce it to nothing. And critically: compare built FAR against the limit for the use you actually intend. A high community-facility limit is not residential floor area, and confusing the two is an expensive mistake.
Why is assessed value so much lower than market value?
Because assessment follows its own statutory formula and phases changes in over time. It is deliberately not a market appraisal. Tax is calculated from the assessed figure, which is why it matters even though it looks wrong.
Is the tax figure the real tax bill?
No — it is an estimate: taxable value multiplied by the published rate for the property's tax class. It does not know about exemptions or abatements the building may carry, so a real bill is often lower. Use it for the order of magnitude.
A field shows a dash. Does that mean zero?
It means no value is on record. We show a dash rather than inventing a zero, because "no penalty was recorded" and "the penalty is $0" are different statements.
The written summary
Is the written analysis produced by AI?
Yes, where it appears, and it says so. It is generated from that property's own figures — the same numbers shown on the page — and it introduces no facts of its own; we check that automatically before it is displayed. It is a reading of the data, not a professional opinion, and it can be wrong about emphasis even when it is right about arithmetic. The numbers are the product; the summary is a convenience.
Corrections and removal
A figure about my property is wrong. Can you fix it?
Tell us and we will look. If the mistake is ours — a calculation, a label, a record matched to the wrong lot — we fix it and clear the cached report. If the error is in the city's own record, we will say so plainly, because we cannot rewrite the public record. Get in touch.
I own a building listed here and I am not comfortable with it. What are my options?
Everything shown comes from public records anyone may look up, and we publish no private information and no commentary of our own about people. But if you are an owner or managing agent with a specific concern — an inaccuracy, an outdated status, or a genuine reason a page should not be listed — write to us. We read every message of this kind and we respond. Contact.
Can I use this to screen a tenant, or for a credit or employment decision?
No. This is not a consumer report and must not be used as one. See Terms.