If you own a residential building in New York City with three or more units, or a one- or two-family home where neither you nor a family member lives, NYC HPD property registration is an annual requirement. You file a statement identifying the owner, a managing agent, and an emergency contact; the $13 fee is billed on your July property tax statement; and the general renewal deadline is September 1.1Housing Preservation & Development. Register Your Property Miss it, and you cannot bring a nonpayment case in Housing Court.
Who Has to Register
Two categories of property trigger the requirement.
Any building with three or more independent residential units must register, regardless of who lives there. That includes standard apartment buildings, converted brownstones, and garden-style projects operated under one ownership.
A one- or two-family home must register only if neither the owner nor a qualifying family member lives in it. The statute defines “family member” broadly: spouse, domestic partner, parent, parent-in-law, child, sibling, sibling-in-law, grandparent, or grandchild.2NYC Administrative Code. NYC Administrative Code – Article 2 – Registration A two-family where the owner occupies one unit and rents the other is exempt. A two-family where both units are rented and the owner lives elsewhere is not.
New multiple dwellings must register before a certificate of occupancy is issued. For a one- or two-family that becomes non-owner-occupied, the owner has ten days to file.3American Legal Publishing Corporation. New York City Administrative Code 27-2097 Registration; Time to File
The Annual Deadline and Fee
Registration renews every year. HPD sets the general deadline at September 1.1Housing Preservation & Development. Register Your Property The statute refers to a “registration date” assigned by HPD to each dwelling, so some buildings may have a different cycle. You can check your assigned date through HPD’s online systems.
The fee is $13 per property, and you do not pay it directly to HPD. The Department of Finance adds it as a line item to your July property tax statement.4NYC311. Building Registration Landlords who report rental income can deduct the fee as an ordinary cost of managing rental property.5Internal Revenue Service. Tips on Rental Real Estate Income, Deductions and Recordkeeping
What the Form Asks For
The registration statement collects the information HPD needs to identify a responsible person for each building.
- Names and business addresses of every owner. If a partnership owns the building, each partner’s information is required.
- Name and address of a managing agent. This must be a natural person at least 21 years old who either lives in New York City or regularly works at a business office in the city. The managing agent is the primary contact for emergencies and the recipient of violation notices and court papers.6American Legal Publishing Corporation. New York City Administrative Code 27-2098 Registration Statement; Contents
- An emergency contact who can provide access to the heating system and other utility areas during off-hours.
An owner who lives in the city or maintains an office there can serve as their own managing agent, but the form still needs someone designated in that role.
How to Submit
HPD does not accept a fully electronic filing. The workflow has three steps.
First, fill out the form online through the Property Registration Online System (PROS) at a806-pros.nyc.gov. PROS also lets you review registration history and receive electronic notifications when forms are accepted or rejected.1Housing Preservation & Development. Register Your Property
Second, print the completed form and sign it. Both the owner and the managing agent must sign and date the printed form. Notarization is not required.
Third, mail the signed form to Department of Housing Preservation and Development, Church Street Station, PO Box 3888, New York, NY 10008-3888.4NYC311. Building Registration
Processing takes several weeks. After that, verify acceptance by searching your address on HPDOnline at hpdonline.nyc.gov, which shows registration status, complaints, and violations.7NYC Housing Preservation and Development. HPD Online Keep a copy of the signed form and any confirmation. That paperwork is your proof of compliance if a dispute reaches Housing Court.
Penalties for Not Registering
Local Law 71 of 2023 raised the civil penalties. They are tiered by building size:1Housing Preservation & Development. Register Your Property
- Five units or fewer: $500 to $1,500 per violation.
- More than five units: $1,000 to $5,000 per violation.
- Filing a false registration: $750 to $5,000.8NYC Housing Preservation and Development. NYC HPD Property Registration Online System
The money is only part of the exposure. A building without a valid registration cannot certify that violations have been corrected, cannot request dismissal of code violations, and cannot bring a court action to recover possession for nonpayment of rent. The nonpayment block is the one that catches landlords off guard. If a tenant stops paying and you file in Housing Court, the court checks your registration status. Without it, the case does not move. You have to register first and then refile, which costs weeks or months.
When You Sell or Change Managing Agents
Registration is not set-and-forget, and the follow-up deadlines are short.
When a building is sold, the previous owner must notify HPD by regular mail on the day of the transfer, providing the new owner’s name and addresses. The new owner must file a complete registration statement within five days of taking title. If the deed is being recorded with the city register or county clerk, the registration statement and its $13 fee must accompany the deed at recording; the register’s office will not record a deed for a multiple dwelling without it.2NYC Administrative Code. NYC Administrative Code – Article 2 – Registration
If ownership changes by operation of law, such as inheritance or a court order, the new owner has 30 days to file. If a managing agent dies, is declared incompetent, or moves out of the city and no longer qualifies, the owner has eight days to designate and file a replacement.
Posting the Serial Number
Once HPD processes the registration, it assigns a serial number to the building. Owners of multiple dwellings must post a sign in the entrance area showing the serial number and the names and contact information of the owner and managing agent. That gives tenants and inspectors the information without a search.
Lead Paint Disclosure for Pre-1978 Rentals
If your rental was built before 1978, a separate federal rule applies alongside HPD registration. Under the EPA’s lead-based paint disclosure rule, landlords must give prospective tenants all known information about lead paint hazards in the unit and common areas before a lease is signed, provide the federal pamphlet “Protect Your Family From Lead In Your Home,” and keep signed disclosure records for at least three years after each lease begins.9US EPA. Real Estate Disclosures About Potential Lead Hazards
Units built after 1977, short-term rentals of 100 days or fewer, and housing certified lead-free by an accredited inspector are exempt. The civil penalty for a knowing violation can reach $22,263 per violation.10eCFR. 24 CFR 30.65 – Failure to Disclose Lead-Based Paint Hazards Because HPD registration already forces you to pull together ownership and management records, it is a practical moment to confirm your disclosure files are current too.