How to Fill Out and Submit the NYC HPD Property Registration Form

If you own a residential building in New York City with three or more units, you must file a Property Registration Statement with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development every year by September 1. The same rule catches one- and two-family homes when neither the owner nor a family member lives there. NYC HPD property registration is done through HPD’s online portal, but the signed form still has to be printed and mailed, and a $13 fee is billed on your July property tax statement.¹

Who Has to Register

New York’s Multiple Dwelling Law defines a multiple dwelling as any building occupied as the residence of three or more families living independently.² Apartment buildings, condos, co-ops, and residential hotels all fall under that definition and must register annually, regardless of whether the owner lives on site or uses a management company.¹

One- and two-family homes have a narrower rule. You must register only when neither you nor a family member occupies the dwelling. Live in your two-family and rent the other unit? No filing. Move out and rent both? You need to register. HPD publishes a certification form for owner-occupants of private dwellings who want to document the exemption on file.³

Information You’ll Need Before You File

Section 27-2098 of the Housing Maintenance Code sets out what the statement has to contain.⁴ Gather this before you log in:

The property’s block and lot number and every street address the building faces.
The full legal name and both residential and business addresses of each individual owner. For corporate owners, the corporation’s name and address plus the names and addresses of all officers, along with any individual holding more than 25 percent. Partnerships list each general partner and any limited partner above 25 percent.
A managing agent. This must be a real person, at least 21, who either lives in New York City or regularly works from a business office within the city. An LLC or company name will not do. An owner or corporate officer who meets those qualifications can serve as the agent.
A 24-hour phone number for someone who can authorize building access and order emergency repairs.

Listing an out-of-city business address for the managing agent is one of the mistakes HPD flags most often, so confirm the agent’s qualifying address before you submit.¹

How to File Through PROS

Enter your data through HPD’s Property Registration Online System at a806-pros.nyc.gov.⁵ Create an account, select your property, and work through each screen. Renewals move faster because the system pulls forward last year’s information, but check every name and address against your current deed and corporate filings. Mismatches with city records will bounce the form back.

Online entry alone does not complete the filing. Print the finished form, then have both the property owner and the managing agent sign and date it.¹ Notarization is not required, which surprises people used to other city filings. Mail the signed form to:

Department of Housing Preservation and Development
Church Street Station
PO Box 3888
New York, NY 10008-3888⁶

Once HPD processes the form and the fee posts, the agency issues a Statement of Registration. You can look up your status any time in HPD’s public online database.

Deadline and Fee

The annual deadline is September 1.¹ You also have to file a new or amended statement any time ownership changes or the information on a valid registration changes, such as when you appoint a new managing agent.

The $13 annual fee is billed by the Department of Finance on your July property tax Statement of Account. You do not pay it through PROS and you do not mail a separate check.¹

Registering After You Buy a Building

When you take title to a building that has to be registered, the clock starts immediately. Under HMC §27-2099, a new owner who records the deed must present a registration statement to the city register’s office or to HPD within five days of closing. If ownership passes by operation of law, such as through inheritance, foreclosure, or court order, the window is 30 days.⁷ Miss either deadline and you face the same penalties as any other registration failure.

Penalties and What a Lapse Blocks

Section 27-2107 sets civil penalties on a sliding scale by building size:⁸

Five units or fewer: $500 to $1,500.
More than five units: $1,000 to $5,000.

Filing a registration containing false information carries its own penalty of $750 to $5,000, and HPD will invalidate the statement.⁸

The fines are only part of the exposure. While your registration is lapsed, you cannot:¹

Bring a nonpayment proceeding in Housing Court against a tenant, if the building has three or more units.
Certify the correction of HPD violations, meaning open violations stay on your record even after the underlying problem is fixed.
Request a Code Violation Dismissal or a violation reissuance.

HPD can also issue Orders against unregistered buildings on top of the fines. The nonpayment bar is the one that tends to hurt most in practice. A tenant who stops paying knows Housing Court is closed to you until the registration is current, and clearing a lapsed filing takes time you may not have once a dispute is under way.

1
Housing Preservation & Development. Register Your Property
2
New York State Senate. New York Consolidated Laws, Multiple Dwelling Law – MDW 4
3
Housing Preservation & Development. Private Dwelling – Not Required to Register
4
American Legal Publishing. New York City Administrative Code 27-2098 – Registration Statement; Contents
5
NYC Housing Preservation and Development. NYC HPD Property Registration Online System
6
NYC311. Building Registration
7
hpd nyc building registration. Annual Residential Property Registration HMC 27-2097
8
American Legal Publishing. New York City Administrative Code 27-2107 – Failure to Register; Penalties