Setting up building alerts and watch lists
Category: Account
Read time: 3 minutes
New violations can be filed on any building on any day — even if the report was clean when you checked it last week. Building alerts close that gap by sending you an email when something changes at a building you're watching.
Who can use watch lists
| Plan | Watchlist limit |
|---|---|
| Free account | 2 buildings + 1 home building |
| Renter plan | 2 buildings + 1 home building |
| Business plan | 10 buildings per team member |
Building alerts require a registered account. Guests (no account) cannot use watch lists.
How to add a building to your watch list
From a building report
- Open any NYC or SF building report
- Click the Watch button in the hero card (top of page, next to the download button)
- The building is added to your watch list immediately
If you're not logged in, the Watch button will be disabled with a note to create an account first.
From your alerts dashboard
Go to Account → Alerts (/alerts) to see all watched buildings, add new ones, and manage alert settings.
What triggers an alert
When a building on your watch list gets new activity, you'll receive an email notification. The alert system checks for new records daily.
NYC alerts check for:
- Building Permits — New DOB permits filed
- DOB Violations — New Department of Buildings violations
- ECB Violations — New Environmental Control Board summonses
- Service Requests (311) — New 311 complaints at the building
- Nearby Activity (150m) — Permits and 311 requests on neighboring parcels that could affect the area
SF alerts check for:
- DBI Violations (NOVs) — New Notices of Violation from the Department of Building Inspection
- DBI Complaints — New DBI code complaints
- Building Permits — New construction permits
- 311 Service Requests — New SF 311 complaints
LA, Austin, and other cities
Each supported city has its own event categories — check your alerts dashboard for the full list.
Email alert frequency
Alerts are checked on a daily schedule. If a new violation is filed on a building you're watching, you'll get one email per event batch — not a separate email for each individual filing.
Typical timing: alerts are sent once per day in the morning. If activity is found on one of your watched buildings, the email arrives before midday.
Home building alert
You can designate one building as your home building. This gets a special alert level — notifications for even minor activity, plus a persistent badge on your dashboard showing the building's current status.
To set or change your home building:
- Go to Account → Alerts
- Click Set as home building on any watched building
- Or update it from the building report page
Removing a building from your watch list
From your alerts dashboard
- Go to Account → Alerts
- Find the building in your watch list
- Click Remove or the delete icon
- Confirm the removal
From a building report
Open the report and click the Watching button (the Watch button changes text once a building is on your list). This removes it from your watch list.
What happens to watch lists when you cancel your subscription?
Watch lists are tied to your account, not your subscription. If you cancel your Renter or Business plan, your saved buildings and watch lists remain. However, alert emails stop sending once your premium access ends.
When you return to a paid plan or use a purchased credit, alert checking resumes automatically — no need to rebuild your watch list.
Watch list limits
| Account type | Maximum watched buildings |
|---|---|
| Free / Renter (no home building set) | 2 |
| Free / Renter (with home building) | 2 + 1 home building |
| Business | 10 per team member |
If you hit the limit, you'll need to remove a building before adding another. The alerts dashboard shows your current count and remaining capacity.
Start watching buildings today — create a free account and look up your first address.