Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about DwellCheck and how we calculate NYC address livability scores.
What is DwellCheck?
DwellCheck is a free tool that provides livability scores for any NYC address. We analyze 15+ public data sources including 311 complaints, HPD violations, DOB complaints, NYPD crime data, transit access, and more to help you make informed decisions about where to live.
How accurate are the livability scores?
Scores are only as accurate as the public records behind them, most of them from NYC Open Data. Building checks match the exact tax lot; neighborhood checks count records within set distances of the address. Complaints are reports, not verified conditions, and NYPD data lags by a quarter or more. A score can be up to 14 days old, and each report shows when it was calculated. Use it as one input and visit any address in person before signing a lease.
What data sources does DwellCheck use?
Most sources are NYC Open Data datasets: 311 Service Requests, HPD Housing Maintenance Code Violations, HPD Bedbug Reporting and Multiple Dwelling Registrations, DOB Complaints, DOB NOW elevator compliance and approved permits, DOB after-hours variances, NYPD complaints, shootings and arrests, motor vehicle crashes, restaurant inspections, PLUTO, the 2020s floodplain map, the NYC Community Air Survey, NYC Parks properties and tree inventory, FDNY firehouses and the NYC Facilities Database. Other sources: MTA subway entrances, schedules, service alerts and Bus Time; Citi Bike; USDA SNAP grocery retailers; OpenStreetMap; and US Census ACS estimates. The methodology page lists every dataset ID.
Is DwellCheck free?
Yes. Every address report is currently free, including the full breakdown. No account or payment is required.
How often is the data updated?
We query the sources when a score is calculated and cache the result for up to 14 days, then recalculate it on the next request. The sources refresh on their own schedules: 311, HPD and DOB data daily, NYPD crime, shooting and arrest data quarterly, and some reference files no longer update (the 2017–18 school locations, the 2019 Wi-Fi hotspot list and the 2013-based floodplain map).
What do the score ranges mean?
Livability scores range from 0-100: 90-100 means excellent conditions with minimal issues. 75-89 means good conditions with minor concerns. 60-74 means fair conditions with notable issues. Below 60 means significant concerns across multiple factors.
How do the points add up to a score?
Every address starts at 100. Each check that returns data adds or subtracts points, with no category weights — a point is a point in every module. Penalties all count. Bonuses count up to +30 in total, however many a location earns, and the result is clamped to 0-100: score = clamp(100 + sum of penalties + min(sum of bonuses, 30), 0, 100). The cap exists because the bonuses add up to +104 across all checks, enough for a well-located address to absorb a 25-point bedbug penalty and still show 100. When the cap changes a score, the report says so. Failed checks add 0 and are marked unavailable; nothing is estimated in their place.
Can I check addresses outside NYC?
Currently, DwellCheck only supports New York City addresses across all five boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Staten Island). We rely on NYC-specific data sources that are not available in other cities.
How is the safety score calculated?
Safety has three checks, all from NYPD data. Crime: complaints within 300m over the 12 months ending at the latest date NYPD has published, compared with the borough average (+5 to −8 points). Shootings: incidents within 500m over the same kind of window (−8 for 1 to 5, −12 for 6 or more). Arrests: arrests within 300m over the same kind of 12-month window, compared with the borough average (+3 when 30% or more below it, down to −14 when 50% or more above it with felony arrests). Recent and older incidents in a window count the same, and 311 complaints are not part of Safety.
Why does the safety card say "safer than average" — what is it comparing to?
The borough. The verdict on the safety card and the points on the Crime row come from the same number: how far the count of crime complaints within 300m sits from the borough average. 50% or more above it reads "Much Higher Than Average" (−8 points), 20-50% above "Higher Than Average" (−4), 30% or more below "Safer Than Average" (+5), 50% or more below "Much Safer Than Average" (+5), and anything in between "Average". Shootings nearby can only push the verdict down, never up. The card also shows how the address ranks inside its own neighborhood ("fewer incidents than N% of sampled points"), which is labelled as context and never sets the verdict — before September 15, 2026 it did, which is how a card could read "safer than average" above a Crime row that was subtracting points.
What is the "Building Health" category?
Building Health uses records for the exact tax lot: open class B and C HPD violations issued in the past 24 months, per residential unit (up to −10); open DOB complaints from the past 24 months (up to −4); 311 heat and hot water complaints in the past 12 months (−4 each, up to −18); HPD bedbug filings that report infested units (−25); and elevators overdue for inspection or sealed by DOB (−10). It can only subtract points, up to −67.
Why does my address show "Demographics" with no score impact?
Demographics data (income, education, race breakdown) is provided for informational context only. We do not factor demographic data into the livability score as it is not directly related to the quality of a specific address.
Why does shelter proximity show no score impact?
Shelter and homeless services proximity is informational only and does not affect scores. This is sensitive data that we provide for awareness without making value judgments.
How can I report an error?
Most of our information comes directly from NYC government databases, so an error there will show up here. If you believe a government record is wrong, report it to NYC 311 or the agency that keeps it. For issues with our tool, contact us through our website.