Areas we serve › New York City › Queens › Pre-listing inspection
Before a buyer’s inspector walks into your Queens house, the buyer’s attorney can already read its certificate of occupancy, its permits and its violations on the Department of Buildings’ website. In a borough where 35.5% of the two-family houses are recorded as converted from one-family, that paper trail matters as much as the roof. A pre-listing inspection in Queens is the part of the picture you can commission yourself: a licensed inspector’s written report on the house, delivered to you, before any buyer’s inspector has seen it.
We are Inspecwise, a home inspection business in South Ozone Park, Queens, licensed by New York State and certified by InterNACHI, and findings can be explained in English, Urdu, Punjabi or Hindi. This page speaks to the seller of a one- to four-family house. It explains what the inspection is and is not under the State’s Standards of Practice, what New York already requires you to hand over, what the borough’s records suggest buyers will ask, how to choose between fixing, crediting and disclosing, and which records to clean up before you list. We make no claim that the inspection raises your price or shortens your sale, and nothing here is legal advice: where the law matters we say what it says and whom it covers, and your attorney applies it to your house. If you are buying, start with our Queens borough guide.
What a pre-listing inspection in Queens is, and what it is not
A pre-listing inspection is an ordinary home inspection ordered by the seller. The State’s Standards of Practice define “inspect” as a visual examination of a system or component using normal operating controls and opening readily operable access panels (19 NYCRR 197-5.1). The inspector observes and reports on readily accessible, visually observable systems, flags what in his or her professional opinion is deficient, not functioning properly or unsafe, and lists anything that could not be observed, with the reason (197-5.3). That is the whole of the service. It is not technically exhaustive, and it need not find concealed conditions or latent defects (197-5.16).
Two features of the arrangement matter to a seller. The first is that the report is yours. The inspector’s duty runs to the client, and the written report is confidential and cannot be disclosed without the client’s express consent (Real Property Law §444-g), so nobody sees it unless you decide they should. The second is that your report does not replace the buyer’s inspection. The buyer’s inspector works for the buyer, applies the same Standards and reaches independent conclusions. What your report does is show you, in advance, what that visit will be looking at.
The Standards also draw lines around what the visit does not do, and a seller should know where they fall:
- It is not a code review. The Standards bar an inspector from ruling on whether a house meets regulations, codes or laws, and an inspector need not report violations, past or present. Whether a second kitchen or a basement unit is lawful is decided by the certificate of occupancy and the records held at the Department of Buildings.
- It does not put a value on the house or advise on whether to buy or sell. Market value and the advisability of purchase are outside the Standards.
- It does not include radon or pests. The licensing statute itself says a home inspection shall not include an inspection for radon or pests.
- It does not determine whether lead paint, asbestos or mold is present, or observe underground storage tanks or underground drainage.
- It does not estimate remaining life or the cost of correcting anything, and it is not engineering or architecture. The mandatory wording of the pre-inspection agreement tells the client that home inspectors are not permitted to provide engineering or architectural services.
Three rules in the licensing law protect the arrangement. An inspector may not accept a fee that depends on the sale or on what the report concludes, may not pay a commission, referral fee or kickback to the seller or to either side’s agent, and may not, for an additional fee, repair or replace components in a house he or she has reported on before the sale closes (Real Property Law §444-g(4)). So the contractor who fixes what the report lists will be someone else, and nobody’s fee turns on the result.
What New York already requires a seller to hand over
If you sell a one- to four-family house, you must complete and sign a property condition disclosure statement and deliver it to the buyer or the buyer’s agent before the buyer signs a binding contract (Real Property Law §462). The form is set out in the statute, and its own text says it is no substitute for inspections or tests. Its questions include whether a radon test has been done, whether the property has been tested for indoor mold, and whether you know of material defects in the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. You have no duty to investigate or inspect, and an “as is” sale remains open to the parties.
The risk sits in accuracy. A seller who willfully fails to meet the requirements is liable for the buyer’s actual damages (§465), and the form warns that a knowingly false or incomplete statement may subject the seller to claims by the buyer before or after the transfer of title. If you later learn that the statement is materially inaccurate, you must deliver a revised one to the buyer as soon as practicable, until title transfers or the buyer takes occupancy, whichever is earlier (§464).
Older guides describe a fixed credit that a seller could give in place of the statement. According to the New York State Bar Association, a 2023 amendment (Chapter 484 of the Laws of 2023) deleted that option effective 20 March 2024, and section 465 as it now reads speaks only of liability for a willful failure. Your attorney will tell you which rules govern your contract.
The statement is not required for every sale. The table below sets out who each rule covers and who it does not, using the sources we link. It is a summary and not legal advice.
| Rule | Applies to | Does not apply to | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property condition disclosure statement | Sellers of real property improved by a one- to four-family dwelling | Transfers listed in section 463: court-ordered transfers, foreclosures and deeds in lieu, fiduciaries, co-owners, a spouse or lineal relative, divorce, government and sheriff transfers, partition; and newly built houses never inhabited | §461 · §463 |
| Smoke alarm affidavit at closing | The conveyance of a one- or two-family house, or a condominium or co-op dwelling. For ten days after the conveyance the buyer may report an alarm that is not operable, and the seller then bears the cost of compliance | The section speaks of one- and two-family dwellings; for a three- or four-family house, ask your attorney | Executive Law §378 |
| Carbon monoxide alarms | Every one- or two-family dwelling; the Department of State’s 2010 emergency rule applied to them regardless of the date of construction or sale | Buildings with no carbon monoxide source in or attached to them | Amanda’s Law rule |
| Lead-paint disclosure and 10-day test period | Most pre-1978 private housing, public housing, federally owned housing and housing receiving federal assistance; the buyer may waive the test period | The rule is written for housing built before 1978 | EPA real-estate disclosure |
| Local Law 1 of 2004 (lead-based paint) | Units occupied by renters in houses of one or two units built before 1960, and in buildings with three or more units built before 1960 | HPD’s coverage list does not name owner-occupied one- and two-family homes | HPD |
| Backwater valve disclosure | Not stated as a legal duty in the sources we read; DEP says a seller should tell buyers a valve is present | Houses without a valve | DEP report |
Alarm paperwork is separate from the disclosure statement. State law requires an operable smoke alarm in every one- or two-family dwelling, and in houses built before 2008 the carbon monoxide rule puts an alarm within each dwelling unit on the lowest story that has a sleeping area, where battery-operated alarms are allowed. The Standards have an inspector report whether the detectors are present and not whether they work (197-5.9), so test them yourself before you list.
What the Queens records tell a buyer before the inspector arrives
We do not publish a tally of what inspections find in Queens houses, so this section starts from what the public records give a buyer’s side to ask about. Those records show the age of the stock, the conversion history, the basements and the water trouble in the area, and each of them turns into a question for you. The numbers below are borough figures; our Queens guide gives them ZIP by ZIP, which is the closest the public data come to your block. A ZIP code is a mail-delivery area and not a neighborhood, so read them as a picture of the area.
| What the records show | The figure | The question a buyer’s side will ask | What to have ready |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age of the houses | 50.2% of Queens’ one- to three-family lots are recorded as built before 1940 (Brooklyn 71%, Staten Island 20%) | Which systems are original, and when was the rest replaced? | Dates, receipts and permits for the roof, boiler, water heater, electrical service and any re-piping |
| Conversions | 35.5% of two-family lots are recorded as converted from one-family, and Queens holds 55% of the city’s converted lots | How many legal units are there, and does the house match its certificate of occupancy? | The certificate, permits for any second kitchen, bathroom or meter, and an accurate account of who occupies each unit |
| Basements | The median ZIP has a full basement under 92% of its lots, and 33 of the 57 ranked ZIPs are at 90% or more | Has it been wet, is any of it lived in, and is there a second way out? | The basement’s history as you know it, pump service records, and permits for finished space |
| Sewer backups | 3,688 sewer-backup complaints to 311 in 2025, 4.1 per 1,000 homes, with ZIP rates from under 1 to nearly 15 | Has this house backed up, is there a backwater valve, has the line been scoped? | Plumber’s records, any valve permit and service, and a camera inspection of the line if the house has a history |
| Flood-insurance claims | 14,842 claims since 1978, 82% of them in six ZIPs; Ida claims in 44 of 64 ZIPs | Has this house made a flood claim, and what does the flood map say for the address? | Your own claims history and the map result for the address |
| Heating fuel | About 10% of Queens County homes are heated with fuel oil (Census Bureau, 2020–2024) | Is there an oil tank, in use or abandoned, above ground or buried? | Tank age, service records, and removal or closure records if it was taken out |
Two cautions. The 311 figure counts complaints from the public and not confirmed backups, and the claims figure counts losses paid on flood policies and not floods, so a quiet number is not proof of a dry house and a loud one is not proof of a wet one. And these are area figures. They tell you what questions are in the air, not what is wrong with your house, which is what the inspection is for.
System by system: what the report will say and what you can settle first
The Standards fix what an inspector must observe and report in each system. The table sets that against what a seller can usefully do before the visit. It is not a to-do list; a house that shows no problem in a row needs nothing done there.
| System | What the Standards have the inspector report | What a seller can settle first |
|---|---|---|
| Roof and chimney | Roofing materials and condition, drainage, flashing, skylights, chimneys and penetrations where readily accessible, and how the roof was observed. The inspector need not give the remaining life or the number of layers (197-5.7) | Fix active leaks, and have the roofer’s invoice and any flashing or chimney repair record to hand |
| Structure and foundation | Deteriorated or damaged structural components, including the foundation and framing (197-5.5) | Know the history of any crack. If the report suggests an engineer, that is a separate profession and a separate visit |
| Exterior and site | Grade and drainage at the foundation, walls, flashing, doors, stoops, steps, porches, railings and driveways. Geological and soil conditions are not required (197-5.4 and 5.6) | Make sure downspouts discharge away from the house and that steps and railings are sound |
| Plumbing | Supply and drain-waste-vent piping, water heating, fuel storage and distribution, sumps and ejector pumps, and active leaks; the inspector operates readily accessible fixtures and pumps. Underground drainage, gas-supply leakage and septic systems are not required (197-5.8) | Fix drips, have pumps serviced and keep records of drain work. If the house has ever backed up, consider a camera inspection of the line, which is a separate service |
| Electrical | Service amperage and voltage, panel interiors where covers are readily removable, branch wiring including any aluminum, a representative number of receptacles and ground fault interrupters, and the presence or absence of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors (197-5.9) | Keep permits for any added circuits, especially for a second unit, and make sure the panel is reachable |
| Heating and cooling | Fuel, equipment and distribution; the inspector operates the system with the thermostat and reports visible vent, flue and chimney components. Heat exchangers, tests for gas leaks or carbon monoxide, and combustion air are not required (197-5.10) | Service records for the boiler, and tank records if the house burns or once burned oil |
| Interior, insulation and attic | Walls, ceilings, floors, steps, railings, a representative number of windows and doors, visible signs of water penetration, insulation and ventilation in accessible areas, and any safe, readily accessible attic (197-5.12, 5.13 and 5.15) | Find the cause of every stain, and keep the answers on the disclosure form consistent with what you know |
Access matters more than most sellers expect. The Standards do not require an inspector to move personal property or to observe what is concealed or not readily accessible, so a panel behind a stack of boxes or a basement ceiling hidden behind stored goods goes into the report as not observed, with the reason. Clear the panel, the water heater, the attic hatch and the route to the boiler.
Fix, credit or disclose: a way to decide
After a pre-listing inspection in Queens you hold a list, and a list invites three decisions. Fix the item before listing. Leave it for the buyer and be ready to negotiate a credit or a price change. Or disclose it on the statement and in the listing conversation. The choice is yours and your attorney’s; the contract decides what, if anything, you owe the buyer after the inspection. Our guides on the inspection contingency and on which fixes are mandatory after an inspection cover the buyer’s side of that negotiation.
| Finding | Usual choices | Check first |
|---|---|---|
| An active leak, or damp in a ceiling or wall | Fix before listing and keep the invoice | Find the source before repainting. The disclosure statement is where you describe what you know |
| A missing or inoperable smoke or carbon monoxide alarm | Fix before listing | The smoke alarm affidavit is delivered at closing, and the seller pays to put right any alarm the buyer reports within ten days of the conveyance (Executive Law §378) |
| An old roof, boiler or water heater still working | Credit, price change or disclosure | The Standards do not ask the inspector for remaining life, so the report will describe condition and leave the buyer to judge what is left |
| An electrical service or panel stretched across two units | Have a Licensed Master Electrician look at it | Electrical work in New York City needs a permit and a Licensed Master Electrician, as the licensing table below sets out |
| An open Department of Buildings violation | Resolve before listing where you can | DOB warns that an open violation can hold up a sale or a new mortgage, and no new or amended certificate is issued until it is cleared (DOB) |
| Work done without a permit | Ask your attorney before deciding | DOB lists safety risks, violations, fines and delays among the consequences of unpermitted work (DOB) |
| A second kitchen or basement unit with no certificate of occupancy | Attorney first; do not describe it as legal | HPD and DOB can issue violations and vacate orders for illegal basement or cellar occupancy; see the records section below |
| A sewer line that looks poor on camera | Repair, credit or disclose | DEP puts the private line on the owner, and a backwater valve must be installed by a licensed plumber with a permit |
| A buried or abandoned oil tank | Specialist assessment | The Standards do not require an inspector to observe underground storage tanks, so the report may say only what is visible |
One rule of thumb runs through the table. Whatever you decide on a repair, the statement you sign must be true to what you know, and it must be revised if you learn it was materially inaccurate. A repair does not erase knowledge, and an attorney can tell you how to describe a defect you have already fixed.
Cleaning up the records before you list
In a city where a buyer’s attorney reads the Department of Buildings’ pages for the address, most of the avoidable trouble in a sale is paper. Six checks are worth doing first:
- Find the certificate of occupancy. It is the document that fixes a building’s lawful use and occupancy, and the Department of Buildings says nobody may legally occupy a building before one is issued. Look the address up in DOB NOW if the request dates from March 2021 or later, and in the Buildings Information System if it is earlier (DOB certificate of occupancy page). A house from before 1938 may have none, unless later alterations changed its use, egress or occupancy; in that case a Letter of No Objection can confirm the legal use. Count the units the certificate allows, and compare them with the kitchens and meters you can see.
- Read the violation list. The Department’s page says the information is public and turns up in a title search, that an open violation can stand in the way of a sale or a new mortgage, and that a new or amended certificate waits until active violations are cleared (DOB violations page). Clearing a violation comes first, so start here.
- Match permits to the work. The same property profile lists permits, complaints and inspections (DOB building data page). If a past owner finished a basement, added a kitchen or replaced a service without a permit, you want to know now. If you hire for repairs, the Department keeps a Contractor Watch List of contractors who performed work without the required permits (DOB page for property owners).
- Check for asbestos filings if you renovated. DEP provides a public search by property for the assessment reports and project notifications that investigators and owners file (DEP asbestos forms page). A house built before 1987 may contain asbestos, and an assessment is required before permitted work.
- Gather the backwater valve paperwork. A licensed plumber must install one, with a DOB permit for an inside valve and a DEP permit for an outside one, and DEP tells sellers to disclose a valve to buyers (DEP report).
- Decide how to describe any second unit. Renting a basement in a two-family house is not lawful if it would make the building a three-family house needing a new certificate of occupancy, according to HPD. The City’s 2024 accessory-dwelling rules and the pilot for existing units, which in Queens covers only Community District 2, have conditions of their own, and the Department of Buildings’ ADU page had not opened pilot applications when it was last revised in April 2026. Read it on the day you decide. We set out the basement rules on our South Ozone Park page.
Who may do the repairs: licenses and permits in New York City
A repair list is only as good as the person who does the work. The rules below cover the trades a Queens house most often needs. They are summaries of the agencies’ pages, and the agencies decide how they apply to a particular job.
| Work | What the rule requires | Who it covers, and exceptions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical | A permit and a Licensed Master Electrician for any installation or modification | The Department’s page states the rule without exceptions | DOB |
| Plumbing and piping | Permits are issued only to a Licensed Master Plumber or Master Fire Suppression Contractor, and only those licensees or the employees they supervise may work on piping systems | Applies to piping work in the city | DOB |
| Other home improvement | A Home Improvement Contractor license from the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection | Residential buildings in the city above the agency’s cost threshold. It excludes new home construction, plumbing and purely electrical work, and an owner who uses an unlicensed contractor loses eligibility for Trust Fund repayment options | DCWP |
| Mold over 10 square feet | A licensed assessor and a licensed remediator; the same licensee may not do both on the same property, and a remediator may not work without a licensed assessor’s assessment | A residential owner working on his or her own property is exempt, and the mere presence of mold triggers no duty to assess or remediate | NYS Department of Labor |
| Asbestos before renovation | A survey by a DEP-certified asbestos investigator for material the work may disturb; removal by a licensed abatement contractor with an independent air-monitoring firm | New York City building owners. DOB says buildings constructed after 1 April 1987 are exempt from DEP’s certification requirements for alterations | DEP · DOB |
| Paid work that disturbs paint | A lead-safe certified firm and trained staff | Homes built before 1978. Generally not owners working on their own home, but it does apply if you rent part of your home or flip houses for profit | EPA |
| Radon testing and mitigation | No state license: New York issues no license or certificate to radon testers or mitigators, and the State Department of Health lists firms certified by national bodies | The analyzing laboratory needs the State’s ELAP certification | NYS DOH testers · mitigators |
Radon, mold and the other tests the disclosure form asks about
The statutory form asks two questions that only a test can answer: has a radon test been done, and has the property been tested for indoor mold. You have no duty to test, but a seller who has results can answer from the record. On radon, the State Department of Health’s position is that testing is the only way to learn a home’s level, and it recommends fixing at 4 picocuries per liter or higher (NYS DOH). Of the 598 Queens basements tested through its kit program since 1987, 3.7% read 4 or higher, but the State estimates that 30,000 to 40,000 more tests a year are done outside the program, so that share describes no particular house. The conditions matter: the State asks that doors and windows to the outside be closed for 24 hours before and during the test, and EPA accepts two short-term tests placed side by side for a real-estate decision (EPA citizen’s guide). Our radon testing page explains the service.
For mold, the Department of Labor’s licensing applies to projects over ten square feet, and its FAQ says that the mere presence of mold triggers no obligation to obtain an assessment or perform remediation. That is a statement about duties to assess, not about what you must say on the form, so answer the form’s mold question from what you know and ask your attorney how to describe a tested or remediated area. A home inspection does not determine whether mold is present; our mold inspection page covers testing. Pests are a separate inspection under the licensing statute, and our termite inspection page describes it.
Timing a pre-listing inspection in Queens: a sequence that keeps the paperwork consistent
The law sets no lead time for any of this, so the order of the steps is what matters, because several of them depend on the one before:
- Pull the certificate of occupancy, the violation list and the permits first. Anything that needs the Department of Buildings takes the Department’s time, and an amended certificate cannot be issued while a violation is active.
- Clear access to the panel, water heater, boiler, attic hatch and basement, then book the inspection. Under the licensing law the written report is due within five business days of the inspection, so raise the delivery date when you book.
- Read the report with your attorney and decide, item by item, whether to fix, credit or disclose.
- Hire the right licensed trade for each repair, and keep the permits and invoices together.
- Run any radon test with the house closed up as the test requires, and keep the lab report.
- Complete the disclosure statement from what you actually know, and deliver it before the buyer signs a binding contract. If something changes, deliver a revised statement as soon as practicable.
- Check the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, because the affidavit comes at closing.
Using the report: who sees it and what it commits you to
Because the report is confidential and yours, you control it. Some sellers give buyers the whole report, some a summary of repairs done, some nothing, and the choice has consequences your attorney should weigh. A report you hand over will be read item by item by the buyer’s side. The disclosure statement is a separate duty and does not depend on the report: it must be accurate when you sign it, and it must be revised if you learn it was materially inaccurate. If you pass the report to a buyer, make sure what you say on the form and what the report says agree.
The report cannot tell the buyer to buy, since the Standards do not make an inspector responsible for the advisability of purchase, and it cannot promise that the buyer’s inspector will find the same things. The Standards ask for the inspector’s professional opinion, so a second inspector may word or rank an item differently. What the report can do is make sure that nothing it finds is a surprise to you. Our guide to reading an inspection report shows how a report is laid out, and our guide to things that fail a home inspection is a companion to the system table above.
Queens sellers in special positions
Two-family houses with renters
If one floor is rented, the inspection needs access to each unit, so arrange it with the occupants. If the house was built before 1960, HPD’s lead-based paint page says the rules in Local Law 1 of 2004 cover renter-occupied units in one- and two-family houses and that the paint-testing requirement applies whether or not a child under six lives there. Its paint-testing page says the owner must use an EPA-certified inspector or risk assessor, that only one test per unit is required, and that the records should be kept for audit. That is a duty of ownership and not of the sale, but a buyer’s attorney may ask whether it has been met. Our two- and three-family guide takes up the buyer’s side.
Estates and fiduciary sales
If you are selling as an executor or other fiduciary, the disclosure statement may not be required for your transfer, because section 463 exempts transfers by fiduciaries. Whether yours qualifies is for your attorney. A pre-listing inspection can still help someone who has never lived in the house learn what is in it before a buyer’s inspector does, and the exemption does not stop the buyer from inspecting.
Houses with a second unit that was never filed
We report what is in the house: a second kitchen, a second set of meters, a basement room with a bed. We do not say whether it is lawful, and the report is not a substitute for the certificate of occupancy. If the records show no such unit, the Department of Buildings says illegally occupied below-grade units outside the pilot areas must be legalized under the current procedure and made code-compliant before occupancy (DOB types of ADUs). Speak to your attorney before the house is listed, because how the unit is described in the listing is a legal question.
After a sewer backup or flood
Sewer backups and basement floods are on the public record in Queens: the borough logged 3,688 sewer-backup complaints to 311 in 2025, and the City’s recovery plan counted only 6.9% of Ida-damaged buildings inside the 100-year floodplain, so a flood map alone will not settle a buyer’s question. If your house has had water, gather what you have: the plumber’s and contractor’s invoices, any camera inspection of the line, and any claim you made. DEP says the owner owns the private line and that a confirmed private-line cause leads to a Notice to Repair (DEP sewer-backup page). Our sewer scope guide explains the camera inspection, and our Queens guide shows how backups and claims vary by ZIP.
Related pages
Our guide for sellers covers the choice to inspect before listing at greater length, and our guide on what a New York home inspection includes lists the systems a pre-listing inspection in Queens would cover. Our South Ozone Park page shows the same records at street level for the neighborhood where we are based, and our New York City overview covers the other boroughs. If you are selling a commercial building or a mixed-use property rather than a house, see our page on commercial property inspection in Queens. To check any inspector’s credentials, including ours, see how to check a New York home inspector’s license.
Frequently asked questions
Does my report replace the buyer’s inspection?
No. The buyer’s inspector works for the buyer and applies the Standards independently, and a buyer is free to inspect whatever your report says. Your report shows you what that visit will look at.
Who owns the report from a pre-listing inspection in Queens, and must I give it to a buyer?
You do. The sources we read do not require you to hand it over, and the report is confidential and cannot be disclosed without your consent. The disclosure statement is a separate duty, so ask your attorney what to share and when.
What if the report finds a problem after I have signed the disclosure statement?
If you learn the statement is materially inaccurate, the law requires you to deliver a revised statement to the buyer as soon as practicable, until title transfers or the buyer takes occupancy, whichever comes first.
Can I sell a Queens house that has open Department of Buildings violations?
Not easily. DOB warns that open violations can hold up a sale or a new mortgage and show up in a title search, and it does not issue a new or amended certificate of occupancy while they are active. Your attorney can say how that applies to your sale.
How do I find my house’s certificate of occupancy?
Search the address in DOB NOW or, for older requests, in the Buildings Information System. A house from before 1938 may have none, and the Department may issue a Letter of No Objection instead.
Should I test for radon before listing?
You have no duty to, but the disclosure form asks whether a radon test has been done. The State says only a test shows a home’s level, and of the 598 Queens basements in its kit program, 3.7% read 4 pCi/L or higher, which says nothing about any one house.
Can the inspector also do the repairs the report lists?
Not for an additional fee before the sale closes. The licensing law bars an inspector from repairing a house he or she has reported on, so the repairs go to a licensed trade of your choosing.
Which Queens sellers do not have to deliver a disclosure statement?
Section 463 exempts several kinds of transfer, among them court-ordered transfers, foreclosures, transfers by fiduciaries, to a spouse or lineal relative, and sales of new houses never inhabited. Your attorney will say whether yours is one.
About the figures on this page
- Lot counts and shares come from PLUTO, version 26v2, published by the city planning department: one- to three-family tax lots by building class, and the share with a recorded year built before 1940, a field that for older buildings is often a rounded estimate. B3 is the tax class “two family converted from one family” (building classes); it is a classification and not proof of what work was permitted. A full basement is basement code 1 or 2 in the same file.
- Complaint counts come from NYC 311 for calendar 2025. Each is a report made by a member of the public and not a confirmed violation.
- Flood claims come from the National Flood Insurance Program file on OpenFEMA (version 3), sorted by the ZIP on each claim and by the event FEMA names. They cover only losses paid under flood policies.
- Heating fuel for Queens County comes from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, five-year estimates for 2020 to 2024, which carry margins of error.
- Radon kit results are the State Department of Health’s radon program data, cumulative from 1987 and limited to tests sold or processed through that program.
- Statutes, rules and agency pages were read in October 2026. Laws and agency pages change, so check the current text, and ask your attorney.
Arranging the visit
When you call, give us the address, the number of units and whether anyone rents a floor. We will tell you what we would look at first and how to arrange access.
Our New York State license number is in the footer of every page. We cover the five boroughs, Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester, and the walk-through can be given in English, Urdu, Punjabi or Hindi.
Questions first? Call 718-925-7071.