Two Things Vary and They Vary Independently
The era. Northeast contains genuinely old housing alongside post-war construction and later infill. That decides whether framing can be repaired in sections or comes out whole, and it decides how long a Truth in Housing repair list runs.
The unit count. A good deal of the stock is duplex or small multi-family, which changes the income a restored building produces and brings tenancy questions into a file a single-family house would not have. The full position is on our page covering TISH, vacancy and code compliance.
How Do I Find out Which Kind of Property I Have?
The Unit Count Changes the Requirement
The Truth in Housing requirement stops at 3 units, and a report is valid for 2 years or one sale, with required repairs completable by the buyer within 90 days of closing. Vacant building registration is required within 5 days of vacancy at $7,228.70 a year, capped at 2 years with a possible 1 year extension and citations of up to $2,000 monthly beyond it. Condemnation and code compliance are governed by Chapters 87 and 89 of the City ordinances, and vacant building registration by Chapter 249.
Worth stating precisely because owners get it wrong. The Truth in Housing requirement covers single-family houses, duplexes, townhouses and first-time condominium conversions. Properties with three or more units are outside it.
So a Northeast duplex needs an evaluation before it can be shown, and a triplex on the next block does not. That is a real difference in what you must do before marketing, and it is decided by a number rather than by anything about the building's condition.
Does My Triplex Need a Truth in Housing Evaluation?
We publish no unit counts or era assumptions for Northeast addresses. The variation across the area is wide enough that a general statement would misdescribe most individual properties, which is the point of this page.
Where the Two Variables Meet
The combination that produces the hardest files is an older small multi-family building that has been condemned. Pre-war construction brought to current code compliance is a substantial job, multiple units multiply it, and any displaced tenancies have to be established alongside.
The combination that produces the easiest is newer single-family stock on the Truth in Housing route with a contained fire. Same neighbourhood, entirely different projects, and a buyer averaging across the area prices neither correctly.
Northeast in Context
Where older stock and duplexes dominate and condemnation is more common, see our page about a district of older stock and duplexes. Where the housing is newer and more uniform, see our page for the post-war housing near the lakes.
Northeast Questions
Two Buyers Gave Me Very Different Numbers.
Likely they made different assumptions about the era, the unit count or which City route applies. Establish all three from the property information tool and give every buyer the same facts.
My Building Has Three Units.
Then the Truth in Housing requirement does not apply, which removes a step before marketing. Registration and any condemnation process still apply.
Will You Buy Small Multi-Family?
Yes. Unit count affects the income and the requirements, and both go into the figure rather than being reasons to decline.