Free Chicago apartment background check

1657 N Damen Ave

Wicker Park, Chicago IL 60647 14314240520000 4 units · 1877

This building has a substantial enforcement record over the last seven years, and our model predicts continuing maintenance failures over the next 12 months. Read the records below before you sign. Ask which issues were resolved, get repair commitments in writing, and inspect the unit yourself.

Building Violations (7y) vs. neighborhood
Records already on file, against a typical building in Wicker Park — not a forecast
Above average
avg 1.1
5
FewerMore

This building has 5 building violations (7y), above the Wicker Park average of 1.1.

Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The 1657 N Damen Ave building is a 4-unit residential property located in Wicker Park, constructed in 1877 and currently owned by 1657 DAMEN LLC. The building has experienced several regulatory and maintenance issues over recent years, with particularly concerning patterns emerging in 2024 when three unresolved periodic routine inspection violations were documented in June. Prior to this, there were also permit-related inspection violations in late 2019, including one that remains open as of the latest records. The property has a significant history of graffiti issues, with multiple removal requests filed in 2026 (three in June, one in May, and one in November) and other service requests including a wire basket request in February 2026 and a snow clearance complaint in December 2025. The building's historical records show two air pollution-related complaints in 1995, and an administrative hearing in 1998 that resulted in a minor $25 fine.

AI-generated · may contain errors · check the source data tables below

Free account unlocks the full analysis — plus 2× more records across all data categories and the complete landlord portfolio.
Building characteristics
Units4
Year built1877
Stories—
Building area4,608 sq ft
Property class212
PIN (Cook County parcel)14314240520000
Ownership

Registered owner per Cook County Assessor records.

Owner name
Mailing address
275 Madison Ave 1100

Landlord portfolio

Other Chicago properties this owner holds, with a risk rating for each.

Unlock complete report
Risk rating

How 1657 N Damen Ave's risk score is calculated

We trained a model on 7 years of Chicago code enforcement data — building violations, 311 complaint history, environmental enforcement, and owner track records. It estimates the probability that the City of Chicago will find a code violation at this address in the next 12 months. Lower % = safer.

What the score means for you

Lower risk — safer than most nearby

City inspectors rarely find violations here. Strong maintenance history and a clean complaint record.

Typical — about average for the neighborhood

Some past violations or complaints on record. Worth asking the landlord about any open issues before signing.

Higher risk — riskier than most nearby

Elevated violation and complaint history. City inspectors have found issues here before and are statistically likely to again.

Neighborhood percentile
11thpercentile

Out of 1722 buildings in this neighborhood, 1533 are predicted to be safer. The band is relative to this neighborhood, so a share of every neighborhood falls in each colour.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
37%
No code
violation
63%
Code violation
likely
Model explanation

What's driving this score

The data points that most influenced this building's risk rating — ranked by the weight the model placed on each one.

Code violations (past 7 years)

City of Chicago Department of Buildings violations issued at this address over the last 7 years — a direct record of enforcement activity.

Property class (212)

Assessor class 212 — small residential (roughly 2–6 units). The assessor's property-class code, which correlates with building type and the violation rates the model expects.

Property class (211)

Assessor class 211 — small residential (roughly 2–6 units). The assessor's property-class code, which correlates with building type and the violation rates the model expects.

12-Month risk forecast
High failure risk 63%
Estimated probability of a code violation in the next 12 months.
Apartment reviews

1657 N Damen Ave apartment reviews

Real experiences from people who have lived here. Share yours to help other renters decide.

Share your experience — Help other renters by leaving an honest apartment review

Loading reviews…

On the map

Compare nearby alternatives

This building and nearby alternatives in Wicker Park, color-coded by risk level. Click any marker to explore.

The story over time

1657 N Damen Ave event timeline

Building violations, environmental complaints and enforcement, permits, scofflaw listings, and 311 calls — most recent records in order.

2024
Building Violation Jun 12 Serious
PERIODIC
OPEN
Building ViolationJun 12
PERIODIC

See all 9 events

Full history back to 1995 — violations, complaints, permits, and 311 calls.

Unlock complete timeline
Every record we have

Full data for 1657 N Damen Ave apartments

Chicago public datasets for this parcel — building violations, permits, 311 calls, environmental complaints and enforcement, scofflaw listings, and vacant building registrations.

Side by side

How 1657 N Damen Ave compares to the neighborhood

This building against comparable properties in Wicker Park. Toggle filters to narrow the peer group.

Loading comparables…
Still apartment hunting in Chicago?

Look up the next apartment before you sign

Search any Chicago address free — no account needed to see the risk rating.

Simple pricing

Get the complete picture

Every plan unlocks the complete report: all Chicago datasets, full history, landlord portfolio, and PDF & Excel exports.

Pay once

Report Bundle

For the buildings you're deciding on right now

$10one time

3premium reports

$3.33 per report · charged once, never renews

Each credit unlocks one building's premium report for 30 days.

  • 3 premium reports — AI executive summary included
  • Live data across all 27 public record types
  • 200 records per dataset
  • PDF & Excel exports included
  • Compare up to 10 buildings side-by-side
  • Credits never expire until you use them
Pay once

Apartment Hunter

For a wide search across many buildings

$39one time

30premium reports

$1.30 per report · charged once, never renews

Each credit unlocks one building's premium report for 30 days.

  • 30 premium reports — AI executive summary included
  • Live data across all 27 public record types
  • 200 records per dataset
  • PDF & Excel exports included
  • Compare up to 10 buildings side-by-side
  • Credits never expire until you use them

Cancel anytime · Data sourced from the City of Chicago Department of Buildings, Chicago 311, Cook County Assessor & the Chicago Data Portal

Watch 1657 N Damen Ave
Get alerted the moment a new violation or complaint is filed.