One-line read
130+-year-old walk-up with three DOB violations open for 12–18 years, 14 open hazardous HPD violations in the last 3 years, and no recent DOB activity. A buyer should budget for serious follow-up questions — and attorney review before any offer.
Building profile (PLUTO, public record)
| Address | 489 Columbus Avenue, NY 10024 (Upper West Side) |
|---|---|
| BBL / BIN | 1011970064 / 1031246 |
| Year built | 1892 |
| Building class | C7 — walk-up apartment |
| Residential / total units | 16 / 18 |
| Floors | 5 |
| Building area | 10,197 sq ft |
| Zoning | C1-8A |
Red flags found (6)
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High
5 open immediately-hazardous (Class C) HPD violations, last 3 years
The most recent from June 2026, all still showing "NOV sent out" — unresolved. Class C means conditions HPD deems immediately hazardous: heat, vermin, structural. Five open at once in a 16-unit building is a management-quality signal.
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Medium
9 open hazardous (Class B) HPD violations, last 3 years
Same story, one tier down. That's 14 open hazardous violations total in 36 months.
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Medium
Open DOB elevator violation, issued May 15, 2014
Still active after 12 years. Long-open elevator violations in walk-ups often mean the violation predates current ownership or was never cleared — ask for the clearance history.
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Medium
Open DOB elevator violation, issued December 31, 2009
A second open elevator violation, 17 years old. Two ancient elevator violations on one building is unusual — verify what's actually installed and serviced.
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Medium
Open DOB boiler violation, issued January 3, 2008
1892 building + 18-year-old open boiler violation = verify the boiler's age and service records before offer.
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Low
Deferred-maintenance proxy
Built 1892 with no DOB filings or violation activity in the last 5 years. In pre-war walk-ups this pattern correlates with aging systems (roof, boiler, facade) that surface as assessments. Ask the managing agent for the last 2 years of board minutes and the capital plan.
Cleared history (context, not flags)
- 5 ECB/OATH violations, all resolved with $0 balance due — no unpaid fines on record.
- 4 dismissed DOB violations (1998 work-without-permit, 2004 boiler, 2006 landmark, 2012 hazardous) — all resolved, no action needed.
- 72 HPD violations dismissed or closed — resolved history, excluded from the score.
LL84 energy data: not covered for this building — it's under the 25,000 sq ft reporting threshold.
The 5 questions to ask before you offer
- What's the clearance plan for the three DOB violations open since 2008–2014?
- Who's the managing agent, and what's their response-time record on the 14 open HPD violations?
- When was the boiler last replaced or serviced? (Open boiler violation since 2008.)
- Are there any pending or planned assessments for elevator, boiler, or facade work?
- Can we see the last 2 years of board minutes and the building's capital plan?
Not covered by public data (honest gaps)
Co-op/condo financial statements, reserve balances, underlying mortgage terms, and pending assessments are not public. This report screens the public record; your attorney's due diligence reviews the building's actual financials. Use this report to decide whether to spend on that diligence.
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Method: NYC GeoSearch (address → BBL/BIN) + NYC Open Data Socrata (PLUTO 64uk-42ks · DOB violations 3h2n-5cm9 · ECB 6bgk-3dad · HPD wvxf-dwi5 · LL84 5zyy-y8am). Scoring: deterministic 0–100 model, open violations only.