How We Score Buildings
ApartmentRanked scores every NYC rental building on a 0-100 scale using publicly available government data. Our goal: give renters the same information that landlords already have, in a format that's actually useful.
Data Sources
All our data comes from free, public NYC government sources:
- HPD Violations — 8.3M+ housing maintenance code violations issued by the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development
- HPD Buildings Registry — Every building under HPD jurisdiction with unit counts, stories, and registration info
- HPD Registration Contacts — Owner and management company information for registered buildings
Scoring Formula
Each building's score (0-100) is a weighted combination of five factors:
Violation Frequency
Violations per unit in the last 12 months
Violation Severity
Ratio of Class C (immediately hazardous) violations
Resolution Speed
Average days to resolve violations
Trend
Are violations increasing or decreasing year-over-year?
Complaint Volume
Tenant complaints filed per unit
Violation Classes Explained
Class C — Immediately Hazardous
Must be corrected within 24 hours. Examples: no heat/hot water, lead paint hazards, broken fire escapes, gas leaks, no running water.
Class B — Hazardous
Must be corrected within 30 days. Examples: roach/mouse infestation, leaking pipes, broken locks, mold, defective smoke detectors.
Class A — Non-Hazardous
Must be corrected within 90 days. Examples: minor peeling paint, small cracks, missing address numbers, minor wear and tear.
Limitations
- We can only score buildings that have violation records. A building with zero violations may simply have never been inspected.
- Violation data reflects complaints filed by tenants. Not all problems get reported.
- Our scores do not reflect current rent prices, amenities, noise levels, or other subjective factors.
- Data is updated monthly. Very recent violations may not yet appear.
- Landlord grades are based on the buildings in our current dataset, not necessarily their complete portfolio.
Not Affiliated with NYC Government
ApartmentRanked is an independent project. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to NYC HPD, the City of New York, or any government agency. All data is sourced from publicly available NYC Open Data portals.
Contact
Questions or feedback? Reach us at support@weblabra.com.