NYC Renter Guides
Built From Real Building Data.
Tenant rights, building violations, lease traps, pest issues, and how to research any NYC building before you sign, covering all 5 boroughs.
NYC Rat Inspection Lookup: Check a Building's Rat History
The Health Department inspects NYC properties for rats and records the result on a public file, separate from 311 complaints. See what Passed, Failed for Rat Activity and Failed for Other Reason mean for a building.
How to Tell if Your NYC Apartment Has Hidden Mold
A musty smell with no visible source and a damp patch that keeps returning are the two signals that find hidden mold. A home test kit finds neither, and no federal standard exists to read it against.
Peeling Paint in an NYC Rental: Does the Landlord Have to Fix It?
In a building with three or more apartments your landlord owes you a repaint every three years, plus repair of peeling paint whenever it appears. Here is the exact duty, the class HPD issues and how to force it.
Which NYC Neighborhoods Have the Most 311 Housing Complaints?
Highbridge draws 870.5 housing complaints per 1,000 apartments against a citywide 313. Of the complaints HPD inspected and ruled on in the year to September 22, 2026, 39.8% produced a violation.
Does Renters Insurance Cover Bed Bugs, Mold or Pests?
Standard renters policies treat bed bugs, mold and pest infestations as maintenance rather than sudden loss. New York regulators set out the narrow exceptions, and the housing code puts the bill on the owner.
NYC Bed Bug Disclosure Law: What Landlords Must Tell You
New York City owners must hand you a state bed bug disclosure form at a vacancy lease, plus the building's annual bed bug filing and a health department notice at every lease. Here is what each one covers.
Who Pays for Mold Removal in an NYC Rental?
In a building with three or more apartments the owner pays for the mold and for the leak behind it, and a lease clause shifting that cost is void. Your rent is the harder question.
Black Mold in an NYC Apartment: What Should You Do?
Color does not tell you what a mold is or how dangerous it is. New York City grades a mold violation by the square footage in one room, and about one in three mold violations is an escalation of an earlier one.
The Building Health X NYC Rental Due-Diligence Checklist
Check an NYC rental in four passes: public records, the viewing, fees and rent status, and documents the owner must give you before you sign.
Who Is Responsible for Pest Control in NYC: Landlord or Tenant?
NYC law puts the pest control duty on the building owner and keeps it there. Your landlord treats and seals, you keep the apartment clean and give access, and a lease clause cannot swap the two.
10 Warning Signs of a High-Risk NYC Building
Ten warning signs to check before signing an NYC lease, with thresholds measured across 172,485 residential lots with three or more apartments.
How to Get Rid of Roaches in an NYC Apartment
Remove food and water, find where roaches gather, place bait near those spots, and seal entry gaps. Keep checking traps after the first treatment.