House report

1554 E Cheltenham Ave

3 bd · 1 ba · 2 stories · 1,324 sqft · RSA5 · built 1945

Owner-occupied · assessed $178K (2026) · 2027 OPA assessment $190K · sold 1×. On the 1500 block of E Cheltenham Ave.

Property summary

“Open” reflects records available then historical records keep their source dates estimates are labeled

BlockReport AI · cited public records

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BlockReport can explain a discrepancy, but it cannot rewrite an official City record. Use the agency that owns the underlying fact:

Street view of 1554 E Cheltenham Ave
From the street — imagery © Google
From above — imagery © Esri, Maxar

The estimate, live balance, and back-tax record are different.

BlockReport can calculate the annual tax from the City’s taxable assessment. Payments, credits, interest, and a current amount due live separately in Philadelphia Tax Center.

Estimated annual Real Estate Tax$1,093/year

2026 taxable assessment $78,100 × 1.3998%. Estimate—not a bill or account balance.

OPA also publishes a 2027 assessment of $189,700; it is not the 2026 billed-year value.

Official current account balanceCheck live

A Tax Center balance is net of bills, payments, credits, interest, and adjustments. A credit—or an amount due—is not automatically “back taxes.”

OPA 621076800
Open Philadelphia Tax Center →Choose “View period balance” to see the tax year and any credit, interest, or delinquency.
Exemption classificationHomestead exemption

2026 OPA removes $100,000 from the taxable assessment through the owner-occupant exemption.

Historical delinquency sources No current conclusion

This parcel did not match the June 2022 delinquency snapshot. That absence does not confirm the account is current today.

For a purchase, refinance, or closing, request the City’s official Property Payoff statement in Tax Center under “More options.”

What stands out

From the public record
Finding

History

Why it matters

2 L&I violations (2014); sold $57K (2017); L&I violation (2020); L&I: 1 failed, 1 passed (2020); L&I violation (2022); L&I: 1 failed, 1 passed (2022); L&I violation (2023); L&I: 1 failed, 1 passed (2023).

View supporting records →

What to do with this

The record, translated into moves — what a buyer, the owner, and a landlord would each want to check next under Philadelphia's actual rules.

If you’re buying

Built 1945: lead rules apply

Federal law requires a lead-paint disclosure at sale for any pre-1978 home. If it will be rented, Philadelphia also requires a lead-safe or lead-free certificate before a rental license can issue.

Zoned RSA5: one household by right

Single-family rowhouse (the classic Philly row). Converting to a duplex or apartments needs a use variance the zoning board rarely grants — Pennsylvania courts require a physical hardship of the lot itself, and economics alone do not qualify.

Derived from the fetched property records and linked City guidance as of 2026. Assessment treatment is not a substitute for an exemption approval, live balance, title report, license, occupancy certificate, or inspection. Informational only — not legal, tax, or investment advice.

The investment read

How this house has moved and where it's pointed: the city's assessed value (not a listing price) over 12 years, charted against its block; appreciation is that history's pace, and the 5-year figure simply extends it. Yield estimates rent-vs-price from area rents. Ask the record to dig into any number.

Assessed value
$178,100
2026 billed-year assessment · 2027: $189,700 · built 1945
Price / sq ft
$143
block $156 · below block
Appreciation
+83%
+6%/yr, city 6.5%
In 5 years (~2031)
~$190K
+6%/yr own pace held 5 yrs — extrapolation, not a forecast
Est. tax bill / yr
$1,093
0.58% effective
Jun 2022 tax snapshot
No match
not proof the account is current
Gross yield
-4217185%
≈$-667M/mo rent
Times sold
1

Assessment vs. the block · every dated City record marked on the line

$0$100K$200K2016 OPA assessment: $97K2017 OPA assessment: $97K2018 OPA assessment: $97K2019 OPA assessment: $106K2020 OPA assessment: $110K2021 OPA assessment: $110K2022 OPA assessment: $110K2023 OPA assessment: $146K2024 OPA assessment: $146K2025 OPA assessment: $178K2026 OPA assessment: $178K2014 — 2014-07-22: CLIP VIOLATION NOTICE · 2014-07-22: HIGH WEEDS-CUT2015 — 2015-12-09: Vacant Residential Property / Lot2017 — Deed / sale $57K2020 — 2020-08-13: EXTERIOR AREA WEEDS · 2020-10-15: L&I investigation2022 — 2022-10-13: EXTERIOR AREA WEEDS · 2022-11-25: L&I investigation2023 — 2023-07-07: EXTERIOR AREA WEEDS · 2023-07-22: L&I investigation$178K2014201620182020202220242026
This propertyBlock median & rangeDeed / saleL&I violationInspectionLicense
2023-07-22: L&I investigation
Highlight
Every dated record10 events · scroll to browse
  1. InspectionL&I investigation
  2. L&I violationEXTERIOR AREA WEEDS
  3. InspectionL&I investigation
  4. L&I violationEXTERIOR AREA WEEDS
  5. InspectionL&I investigation
  6. L&I violationEXTERIOR AREA WEEDS
  7. Deed / saleDeed / sale $57K
  8. LicenseVacant Residential Property / Lot
  9. L&I violationCLIP VIOLATION NOTICE
  10. L&I violationHIGH WEEDS-CUT

The paper trail

2 L&I violations (2014); sold $57K (2017); L&I violation (2020); L&I: 1 failed, 1 passed (2020); L&I violation (2022); L&I: 1 failed, 1 passed (2022); L&I violation (2023); L&I: 1 failed, 1 passed (2023).

  1. 2014 2 L&I violationsL&I
  2. 2017 $57KSold
  3. 2020 L&I violationL&IL&I: 1 failed, 1 passedL&I visit
  4. 2022 L&I violationL&IL&I: 1 failed, 1 passedL&I visit
  5. 2023 L&I violationL&IL&I: 1 failed, 1 passedL&I visit

Browse the source ledger

The chart above is the primary timeline. This drawer preserves every underlying dated row and its filed status for source-level review.

Open the City record ↗
Browse 13 dated records deeds, permits, inspections, licenses, violations, certifications & appeals
  1. InvestigationL&I investigation

    Case CF-2023-063952 · PASSED

    The cited inspection visit was marked passed.

  2. ViolationEXTERIOR AREA WEEDS

    Case CF-2023-063952 · Violation VI-2023-047777 · COMPLIED

    City marked this violation complied with; check the resolution date and live case for what was accepted.

  3. InvestigationL&I investigation

    Case CF-2023-063952 · FAILED

    The cited inspection visit was marked failed; later rows may show follow-up or resolution.

  4. InvestigationL&I investigation

    Case CF-2022-105506 · PASSED

    The cited inspection visit was marked passed.

  5. ViolationEXTERIOR AREA WEEDS

    Case CF-2022-105506 · Violation VI-2022-077925 · COMPLIED

    City marked this violation complied with; check the resolution date and live case for what was accepted.

  6. InvestigationL&I investigation

    Case CF-2022-105506 · FAILED

    The cited inspection visit was marked failed; later rows may show follow-up or resolution.

  7. InvestigationL&I investigation

    Case CF-2020-050401 · PASSED

    The cited inspection visit was marked passed.

  8. ViolationEXTERIOR AREA WEEDS

    Case CF-2020-050401 · Violation VI-2020-027672 · COMPLIED

    City marked this violation complied with; check the resolution date and live case for what was accepted.

  9. InvestigationL&I investigation

    Case CF-2020-050401 · FAILED

    The cited inspection visit was marked failed; later rows may show follow-up or resolution.

  10. Recorded transfer$57K transfer

    2017

  11. LicenseVacant Residential Property / Lot

    License 685952 · Inactive

    WELLS FARGO HOME MORTGAGE · Expires 2016-12-31 · Inactive 2017-03-01

  12. ViolationCLIP VIOLATION NOTICE

    Case 443835 · Violation 3264023 · COMPLIED

    City marked this violation complied with; check the resolution date and live case for what was accepted.

  13. ViolationHIGH WEEDS-CUT

    Case 443835 · Violation 3264024 · COMPLIED

    City marked this violation complied with; check the resolution date and live case for what was accepted.

What this record suggests

The dated deed and City-record sequence is assembled below. Read timing as a research lead, not proof of renovation, condition, or motive.

Informational only — not investment advice or a consumer report (FCRA).

The property, on paper

The city assessor's field record — the physical spec sheet behind the assessed number.

Bedrooms
3
Bathrooms
1
Stories
2
Interior
1,324 sqft
livable area
Lot
1,287 sqft
Basement
Partial, semi-finished
city code F
Heat
Hot water / radiators
city code B
Garage
1 space
Exterior condition
Average
city code 4
Interior condition
Average
city code 4
Quality grade
C+
assessor's grade
Zoning
RSA5
city zoning code

OPA field-assessment attributes. Condition and grade are the assessor's codes, not an inspection.

Run the numbers

What owning 1554 E Cheltenham Ave takes, at your price and your rate. Taxes start with an annual estimate from the City’s taxable assessment, not a current bill or balance; rent starts at the area median. Assessed value is not an asking price — set the price slider to the real one.

$190K
20%
6.875%
$700/mo

When this house last sold (2017) a 30-year mortgage ran about 3.99% — Freddie Mac's average that year.

Mortgage
P&I · 30-yr fixed
All-in monthly
+ taxes & insurance
Cash to close
down + ~4% costs
Cash flow
rent − all costs · /mo
Cap rate
NOI ÷ price
Cash-on-cash
year-1 return on cash in

Estimates for orientation, not advice. Assumes a 30-year fixed loan, $1,400/yr insurance, 1% of price/yr maintenance; taxes use this parcel's taxable assessment, not a live Tax Center balance.

Block context

1554 E Cheltenham Ave sits on the 1500 block of E Cheltenham Ave. Open the block report to compare its parcels, ownership and public-record history.

See the whole block →

Next door: 1552 E Cheltenham Ave  ·  1556 E Cheltenham Ave

Where this comes from

Methodology & freshness

This report was assembled Jul 10, 2026, 1:48 AM ET. Available City datasets are queried from OpenDataPhilly (phl.carto.com) and the cited City ArcGIS feeds; record queries paginate rather than silently taking a first page. For this property: Permits: queried · Violations: queried · Investigations: queried · Appeals: queried · Licenses: queried · Building certifications: queried. “Unavailable” means the source query failed or was not supplied, not “no record.” Reports re-pull on view after seven days and on an overnight rolling schedule; citywide benchmarks recompute weekly. Source dates still govern: the parcel-level tax-delinquency snapshot is June 2022 and the separate detailed tax ledger ends in 2016, so neither establishes today’s balance. The live balance and date-effective payoff must be verified in Tax Center. AI-written passages are grounded in the assembled record and rejected if they state a number the record does not hold.

Official city record ↗  ·  L&I history ↗  ·  See the whole block  ·  Download this record (JSON)