About This Tool
This tool aggregates publicly available City of Philadelphia data to help housing advocates quickly assess rental property compliance. Understanding the limitations of this data is important.
Why This Data Is Difficult to Work With
- Multiple sources. Different datasets exist for different types of data, and the links between them are not always documented or easily discoverable.
- Messy and incomplete data. Due to incompetence or deliberate obfuscation, many records are incomplete or outright wrong — data in the wrong fields, truncated names, misspellings that make it difficult to group records belonging to the same owner or property.
- Interfaces not built for this purpose. While cities make this data available and build search tools, those interfaces are not structured for compliance investigation. Some have become more restrictive over time when the city learned how advocates were using them (for example, Philadelphia now prevents direct “search by owner” on some portals).
- Deliberately hidden identities. Landlords typically use shell companies, LLCs, and other business structures to obscure their true identity, making it difficult to build a complete picture of a landlord’s housing portfolio.
Data Sources
All sources below are publicly available and can be queried directly via Postgres-style SQL as parameters of RESTful API calls. Data reflects what was available on these sites at the time of each search.
CartoDBphl.carto.com/api/v2/sql
| Dataset | Used For | Link |
|---|---|---|
| opa_properties_public | Property info, owner names, year built, coordinates | OpenDataPhilly ↗ |
| violations | L&I violation cases and individual violations | OpenDataPhilly ↗ |
| appeals | L&I appeals and decisions | OpenDataPhilly ↗ |
| business_licenses | Rental licenses and business license history | OpenDataPhilly ↗ |
| rtt_summary | Deed transfers and current ownership grantees | OpenDataPhilly ↗ |
ArcGISservices.arcgis.com/fLeGjb7u4uXqeF9q
| Dataset | Used For | Link |
|---|---|---|
| lhhp_lead_certifications | Lead hazard certification status and expiration dates | OpenDataPhilly ↗ |
| CERT_RENTAL_SUTBLTY | Certificate of Rental Suitability (CRS) issuance history | ArcGIS ↗ |
National Housing Preservation Database (NHPD)
| Dataset | Used For | Link |
|---|---|---|
| NHPD Properties API | Federally subsidized and affordable housing program data | preservationdatabase.org ↗ |
Disclaimer
All data presented on this site is drawn from publicly available sources maintained by the City of Philadelphia, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and other government agencies. This tool does not generate, alter, or independently verify any of the underlying records — it simply retrieves and organizes them in one place for convenience.
While every effort is made to present this information accurately, the data may be incomplete, outdated, or contain errors originating from the source databases. Records can change at any time, and there may be a delay between when a source is updated and when those changes appear here.
This tool is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind. The author assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the information displayed. Nothing on this site constitutes legal advice. Do not rely solely on this information for legal proceedings, case representation, or any decision with legal or financial consequences without independently verifying the data through official sources.