The unicorn turned out to be a mass of decaying flesh dressed in a trench coat. First, my neighbor’s leaky radiator caused my roof to get wet (while she was recovering from surgery). My downstairs neighbor’s apartment was then flooded by my radiator. All of our mail was dumped on the basement steps, where it was either stolen or covered in snow due to a dispute between our landlord and the neighborhood post office. We have mentioned below the steps to investigate the next apartment in New York like a reporter.
Steps to Investigate Your Next New York Apartment Like a Reporter
Publicly available information
Unfortunately, you are unlikely to be able to learn the full history of the specific apartment you are interested in. However, finding out more about the building’s previous and current owners is straightforward.
County assessment districts
An appraisal district or appraiser exists in each municipality. These offices assess unoccupied, commercial and residential buildings to determine their market value. But the building’s history is what makes this place valuable to potential tenants. As an illustration, consider the Arterra Apartments in Dallas, Texas. The city of Dallas opened an investigation into the complex after receiving complaints from residents about health and safety issues. On the Dallas Central Appraisal District website, those looking to rent a home in Dallas County you can conduct a property search. You can use the district property map search bar to enter the address of the apartment complex. We can access the property history by clicking on the account number. All construction and property history may not be available online in appraisal districts if the apartment you wish to rent was built more than a few decades ago. As assessment districts are government organizations, if more information is needed, you can request it through an open records request. However, we do not advise delaying signing the lease while waiting for public records. In most circumstances, you will be able to find any recent or current information online.
property information
What should you do after finding the owner’s name? Google it. I like to use boolean searches when looking for information online. The search results are more useful, in my opinion. 2755 E Ledbetter Hive Partners LLC is the current owner of Arterra Apartments in Dallas. We advise using OpenCorporates, a database that tracks and publishes data about corporations, to look for up additional company information. Private equity firms sometimes handle their real estate assets behind LLCs, which makes it difficult to determine who actually owns an apartment complex. Private equity firms own many apartments in the US. You can find out when the LLC was established, if it still has a valid business license, and if its name has changed using OpenCorporates.
Other search tools
In some cities, activists and local government agencies work to create searchable databases for potential tenants. In NYC several of them exist, including: Activists from the Chicago branch of the Democratic Socialists of America have released their own map, showing how many properties local landowners own and where. Many large cities don’t have databases or maps like these, but it’s worth checking if yours does.
Final Words
We hope you like our article on how to Investigate the next apartment in New York like a reporter. Always go see the place in person if possible. Request a tour of the specific unit you wish to rent. It can be tempting to look for housing deals on Craigslist or neighborhood Facebook groups given the rising cost of rent. One approach to confirming this if someone texts you claiming to be a homeowner or real estate agent is to visit the county appraisal district website.
