HPD Complaints vs Violations: How to Read Them

A complaint is a tenant's report of a problem; a violation is HPD's official finding, after an inspection, that the problem breaks the housing law. Most complaints never become violations: in the 12 months to September 2026, only about one in six complaint problems ended with a violation being issued.

That doesn't mean the other complaints were false. Many closed because the tenant said the problem was fixed, the inspector couldn't get in, or it was a duplicate of a building-wide report. Here is how to read the complaint record on a building.

From 311 call to violation

HPD recommends telling the landlord first. If that doesn't work, you file with 311 by phone, 311 online or the app. Then:

1. 1

   You get a service request number

   Use it to check status on 311 or HPD Online. The complaint row in open data links back to 311 by its Unique Key.
2. 2

   HPD tells the managing agent

   HPD tries to contact the owner’s agent to say a complaint was filed and a violation may follow if the condition isn’t corrected.
3. 3

   HPD calls you back

   If you say the problem is fixed, HPD closes the complaint. Keep your phone number current.
4. 4

   An inspector visits, unannounced to the owner

   If it isn’t fixed or HPD can’t reach you, a Code Enforcement inspector is sent. On every inspection, inspectors also check smoke and CO detectors and certain other conditions, such as window guards and lead paint where young children live.
5. 5

   A violation, or not

   If the condition breaks the Housing Maintenance Code or Multiple Dwelling Law, the inspector writes a violation and HPD mails the owner a Notice of Violation with a deadline.
6. 6

   Emergency repairs if needed

   For immediately hazardous conditions the owner ignores, HPD's Emergency Repair Program may make certain repairs and bill the owner. See the Emergency Repair Program guide.

Complaints vs violations at a glance

How a complaint record is structured

HPD splits each complaint into one or more problems. A tenant calling about no heat and a leaking ceiling makes one complaint with two problems. Each problem has its own category, type and status. HPD's dictionary says a problem closes when a tenant verifies it was corrected or an inspector enters a result, and a complaint closes when all its problems are closed.

What people complain about

By urgency, 62.1% of problems were coded Emergency, 33.9% Non emergency and 4.0% Immediate Emergency. Elevator, outside-building and line-of-travel problems were each under 0.3%.

Why most complaints close without a violation

The StatusDescription field tells you how each problem ended. These were the most common outcomes over the last 12 months:

Some patterns to know:

• Heat complaints are time-sensitive. 6,472 heat problems closed with HPD's note that heat was not required at the time of inspection because it was above 55°F outside. Daytime heat rules depend on the outdoor temperature; nighttime rules do not. See NYC heat and hot water rules.
• Building-wide duplicates are normal. When many tenants report the same building-wide condition, HPD's status text notes that more than one complaint was received and reports the outcome for the initial complaint.
• No access closes complaints. If nobody lets the inspector in, the complaint closes and you have to file again.
• "Violations were previously issued" (11,146 problems) means the condition is already covered by an existing open violation, which is itself a sign of a repeat problem.

How to read complaints on a building page

On a Roofy building page, each complaint shows its major category, minor category, date, apartment and status. Weigh them this way:

• Repeat categories over several years matter more than one bad month. The same heat or leak complaint every winter suggests patching, not fixing.
• Building-wide heat complaints from many apartments on the same days point to a boiler or fuel problem.
• Complaints with no matching violations aren't proof the building is fine. Check whether they closed for no access or a tenant callback.
• Size matters. Compare complaints to the number of units. Fifty complaints in a 300-unit building is different from fifty in a six-family.

Once a violation is issued, its status tells you whether it is still open. See HPD violation status codes explained, and for citywide heat trends, our 2025-26 heat complaints report.