About IsMyLandlordShady

Empowering NYC renters with the information they need to make informed housing decisions.

Our Mission

Finding an apartment in New York City is hard enough without having to worry about whether your landlord will fix that broken heater or if the building has a history of pest infestations.

We built IsMyLandlordShady.nyc to give renters access to the same information that landlords and real estate professionals have—violation records, complaint histories, eviction rates, and more. All of this data is public, but it's scattered across dozens of government databases. We bring it together in one searchable, understandable format.

What We Believe

Transparency

Renters deserve to know the history of a building before signing a lease. Public data should be publicly accessible.

Accountability

Bad landlords thrive in the dark. When their records are visible, there's incentive to do better.

Empowerment

Knowledge is power. We give renters the tools to ask the right questions and make informed choices.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this data accurate?

We pull data directly from NYC Open Data, the official source for city records. However, data entry errors can occur at the source, and some records may be incomplete.

How often is the data updated?

We refresh our data weekly. Scores are recalculated after each update to reflect the latest records.

Can I trust the letter grades?

Grades are a helpful starting point, but we encourage you to look at the underlying data. A building with a 'C' grade might have one serious issue or many minor ones.

Is this legal advice?

No. This tool is for informational purposes only. If you have legal concerns about a landlord or building, consult a tenant rights attorney.

My building info is wrong. How do I fix it?

We don't create this data—it comes from city agencies. If there's an error, you'll need to contact the relevant agency (HPD, DOB, etc.) to correct the source records.

Get in Touch

Have feedback, found a bug, or want to collaborate? We'd love to hear from you.