4538 W Van Buren St
Nothing on record for this building in the last seven years. Our model still sees a moderate chance of maintenance problems in the next 12 months, from the owner's wider portfolio and the surrounding area rather than from anything recorded here. No public enforcement record to go on. Walk the building, ask the current tenants how repairs get handled, and get any promises in writing.
This building has 0 building violations (7y), at or below the Garfield Park average of 1.9.
What's in the 4538 W Van Buren St report
| Units | 3 |
|---|---|
| Year built | 1925 |
| Stories | — |
| Building area | 2,717 sq ft |
| Property class | 211 |
| PIN (Cook County parcel) | 16151230300000 |
Registered owner per Cook County Assessor records.
Landlord portfolio
Other Chicago properties this owner holds, with a risk rating for each.
Unlock complete reportThe three-unit residential building at 4538 W Van Buren St in Garfield Park, owned by Jerome Dowdy, has been standing since 1925 and has a relatively limited recent history of service requests and permits. Over the past seven years, there have been 16 documented 311 service requests associated with the property, with the majority occurring within the early months of 2026. The first half of 2026 has seen a notable pattern of fly dumping complaints, with six such incidents reported between January and June, though all but one have been resolved. Additionally, the property has experienced some public infrastructure issues within its vicinity, including a stop sign repair request in January 2026, which was subsequently addressed. The only building permit on record during this seven-year period is from 2020, though specific details about its nature and completion status are not provided in the available data. While the frequency of fly dumping complaints suggests an ongoing cleanliness concern in the building's immediate surroundings, it's worth noting that several of these complaints were promptly addressed through official channels, and there is no record of serious safety incidents or structural issues affecting the building itself.
AI-generated · may contain errors · check the source data tables below
How 4538 W Van Buren St'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.
Out of 3998 buildings in this neighborhood, 1839 are predicted to be safer. The band is relative to this neighborhood, so a share of every neighborhood falls in each colour.
violation
likely
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.
4538 W Van Buren St apartment reviews
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4538 W Van Buren St event timeline
Building violations, environmental complaints and enforcement, permits, scofflaw listings, and 311 calls — most recent records in order.
See all 2 events
Full history back to 2022 — violations, complaints, permits, and 311 calls.
Unlock complete timelineFull data for 4538 W Van Buren St apartments
Chicago public datasets for this parcel — building violations, permits, 311 calls, environmental complaints and enforcement, scofflaw listings, and vacant building registrations.
What this is
Violations issued by the City of Chicago Department of Buildings against this parcel.
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What this is
Violations issued for failure to register or maintain a vacant or abandoned building.
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What this is
Building permits issued by the City of Chicago for new construction, alterations, and repairs at this parcel.
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What this is
Chicago 311 service requests recorded at this parcel — maintenance complaints and quality-of-life requests.
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What this is
Environmental complaints filed about this property with the City of Chicago.
| Complaint # | Date | Type | Inspector | Resolution | Resolved |
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What this is
Formal environmental enforcement cases brought against this property.
| Case # | Date | Type | Violation | Disposition | Status | Fine |
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