To find out who owns your building in NYC, search two free city databases: the HPD property registration at hpdonline.nyc.gov for residential buildings, and the deed record on ACRIS, the Department of Finance’s property records system. HPD gives you the owner’s name plus a working contact for the managing agent. ACRIS gives you the legal owner named on the most recent deed. Between them, most searches are done in a few minutes. The complication comes when the owner turns out to be an LLC, which is common in NYC, and finding the human behind that LLC takes a few more steps.
Start With HPD If You’re a Residential Tenant
New York City law requires the owner of any building with three or more residential units to register annually with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. The rule also covers one- and two-family homes when the owner doesn’t live there. Registrations renew by September 1st each year and any time ownership or the managing agent changes.1NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Department of Housing Preservation and Development – Owner Services
For tenants, HPD is usually the most useful place to start. The registration lists the owner and, separately, the managing agent along with contact information, which is the person you’d actually call about a broken boiler or a lease question. HPD uses that contact for all official notifications and emergencies at the property.2NYC Housing Preservation & Development. Register Your Property Search by address through HPD Online.
If the registration is missing or expired, that’s meaningful on its own. It means the owner is out of compliance with a basic legal requirement, and you can file a complaint with HPD about the lapsed registration.
Search the Deed on ACRIS
ACRIS, the Automated City Register Information System, is the direct route to the legal owner. It’s a free tool from the NYC Department of Finance covering recorded deeds, mortgages, and other transfer documents for Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx.3NYC Department of Finance. Automated City Register Information System The deed is the document that officially names the owner, so it’s the authoritative answer when HPD data is thin or absent.
Search by address or by borough-block-lot (BBL) number. Records go back to 1966.4Department of Finance. Property Recording and Property-Related Documents Sort by date and open the most recent deed. On that document, the grantor is the previous owner and the grantee is the current one.
One boundary worth knowing: ACRIS does not cover Staten Island. Records there are kept by the Richmond County Clerk, and you can search deeds and other land documents by party name, block and lot, or document number at richmondcountyclerk.com.5Richmond County Clerk New York. Land Documents Search
Cross-Check With Property Tax Records
The Department of Finance’s property tax assessment search lists the name of the party responsible for paying taxes on any parcel in the city. You can search by address or BBL.6NYC Finance. Property Tax Assessment Search
This is worth checking when the ACRIS result doesn’t match what you expected. A building may have been sold without the deed being recorded yet, or a trust or holding company may sit in the chain. The tax roll usually reflects the entity currently on the hook for the property, even when deed recording has lagged. If your building recently changed hands, the tax record and the HPD record may update on different schedules, so checking more than one database gives you a fuller picture.
When the Owner Is an LLC
This is where most searches stall. A large share of NYC buildings are held by LLCs rather than named people. When you pull the deed on ACRIS and see something like “123 Main Street LLC” instead of a person’s name, you’ve found the legal owner, just not the human behind it.
Search the New York Department of State Database
The next stop is the New York Department of State’s Corporation and Business Entity Database, a free search at apps.dos.ny.gov.7New York State Department of State. Corporation and Business Entity Search Database Enter the LLC name exactly as it appears on the deed. The results show the registered agent (the person or company legally designated to receive official correspondence and lawsuits for the LLC), the filing address, and the date the LLC was formed.
The registered agent isn’t necessarily the actual owner. Landlords often list an attorney or a registered-agent service, which adds a layer of anonymity. Even so, it’s a guaranteed point of contact. Formal demand letters and legal papers go to the registered agent’s address.
Why LLC Ownership Stays Opaque
New York’s LLC Transparency Act took effect on January 1, 2026 and creates a database of beneficial owners of LLCs. The law was amended so that it applies only to LLCs formed outside the United States and authorized to do business in New York.8Governor of New York. Governor Hochul Signs the LLC Transparency Act Domestically formed LLCs, which account for the vast majority of building-owning entities in NYC, are exempt. And even for the foreign LLCs that must report, the beneficial ownership information is not available to the general public; it can only be disclosed to law enforcement and government agencies for official purposes.
The federal picture is similar. The Corporate Transparency Act created a beneficial ownership database at FinCEN, but the Treasury Department suspended enforcement of reporting requirements for U.S. citizens and domestic companies in early 2025 and has said it intends to narrow the rule to foreign entities only.9U.S. Department of the Treasury. Treasury Department Announces Suspension of Enforcement of Corporate Transparency Act Against U.S. Citizens and Domestic Reporting Companies The FinCEN database was never public in any case. Access is limited to federal agencies, law enforcement, financial institutions doing due diligence, and certain regulators.10FinCEN.gov. Fact Sheet: Beneficial Ownership Information Access and Safeguards Final Rule
So there is no single public database that reliably connects an NYC LLC to the people who actually control it. What you can do is search the LLC name back through ACRIS to see what other properties it holds. Landlords with multiple buildings often use similar LLC names with a recognizable pattern, and that pattern combined with the registered agent and filing address can help you connect the dots. When public records run out, a tenant attorney or a community housing organization familiar with NYC property records can sometimes go further.
What “Owner” Means in Co-ops and Condos
Who counts as “the owner” depends on how your building is structured, and that changes what you’ll see in the records.
In a standard rental building, one entity (an individual, corporation, or LLC) owns the whole property. That entity is the landlord and appears on the deed, the HPD registration, and the tax rolls.
In a co-op, a corporation owns the entire building. Residents own shares in the corporation and hold a proprietary lease for their unit. If you search ACRIS or tax records for a co-op, you’ll see the corporation, not any individual resident. Building-wide decisions come from the co-op board and its managing agent.
In a condominium, each unit owner holds their own deed. Search a specific unit on ACRIS and you’ll get the individual owner. Lobbies, hallways, the roof, and other shared spaces are managed by the condominium association and its board.
A Few Practical Tips
If you’re a tenant in a residential building with three or more units, start with HPD. It’s the fastest route to both an owner name and a working phone number. If HPD has nothing for your address (common for smaller owner-occupied properties, and typical for condos), go to ACRIS.
Use the BBL number once you have it. Addresses in NYC can be ambiguous, especially for corner buildings or parcels that span multiple lots. The BBL is the city’s unique identifier, and every other database (HPD, DOB, tax records) recognizes it. Pulling it from one system and reusing it keeps your results consistent across the others.
What Your Landlord Must Tell You After a Sale
If your building has been sold, the previous landlord must transfer all security deposits to the new owner within five days or return them to tenants, and must notify tenants by registered or certified mail of the new owner’s name and address.11New York State Attorney General. Residential Tenants’ Rights Guide If you’re searching because your building recently changed hands and no one told you, that notification requirement is your basis to demand the information. A letter to your last known managing agent citing this obligation usually produces a response.