History
Why it mattersL&I violation (2018); L&I: 1 failed, 1 passed (2018); 9 L&I violations (2021); L&I: 5 failed, 3 passed (2021).
View supporting records →House report
1639 E Berks St
1 story · 1,023 sqft · RSA5 · built 1920
Absentee individual · assessed $69K. On the 1600 block of E Berks St.
Property summary
Assessment$69KCity assessed value
Last sale—No sale value available
Est. taxes$959/yearAnnual city record
Permits0Shown in this report
ViolationsNone openNo open L&I cases
What stands out
From the public recordAssessment frozen for a decade
Why it mattersThe assessed value hasn't moved once in 12 years of records while the city around it repriced. That usually means the parcel is falling through the reassessment process, not that its value is flat.
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 1920: 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.
The last transfer was not a sale
The most recent recorded deed moved for nominal consideration. That is where tangled-title problems live — budget a real title search. (Occupants untangling an inherited deed can get help from the city's Tangled Title Fund.)
If you own it
$21 in back taxes on record
Interest and penalties keep compounding until a Revenue payment agreement is in place — an owner-occupant agreement also stops the sheriff-sale track.
If you’re the landlord
No active rental license on file
If this property is rented, Philadelphia requires a Rental License (via eCLIPSE) — without it a landlord cannot legally collect rent or evict, and tenants can withhold. Licensing needs tax clearance and no open violations.
Derived from this house's public records and the city's rules as of 2026 (abatement ordinance, Homestead, rental licensing, lead certification, L&I process, excavation protections). 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
$69K
built 1920
Price / sq ft
$67
block $279 · below block
Appreciation
+0%
+0%/yr, city 6.5%
In 5 years (~2031)
~$69K
+0%/yr own pace held 5 yrs — extrapolation, not a forecast
Est. tax / yr
$959
1.4% effective
Gross yield
33.1%
≈$2K/mo rent
Times sold
0
Value vs. the block, over time — sales, permits & L&I events marked on the line
This houseBlock median & rangeL&I violation
The paper trail
HistoryL&I violation (2018); L&I: 1 failed, 1 passed (2018); 9 L&I violations (2021); L&I: 5 failed, 3 passed (2021).
- 2018 L&I violationL&IL&I: 1 failed, 1 passedL&I visit
- 2021 9 L&I violationsL&IL&I: 5 failed, 3 passedL&I visit
Flags: $21 back taxes. Informational only — not investment advice or a consumer report (FCRA).
The house, on paper
The city assessor's field record — the physical spec sheet behind the assessed number.
Stories
1
Interior
1,023 sqft
livable area
Lot
1,024 sqft
Basement
Full
city code D
Heat
Undetermined
city code H
Central air
No
Garage
1 space
Exterior condition
Average
city code 4
Above averageBelow average
Interior condition
Average
city code 4
Above averageBelow average
Zoning
RSA5
city zoning code
OPA field-assessment attributes. Condition and grade are the assessor's codes, not an inspection.
Where the record looks off
Places where the city's own paperwork disagrees with itself. These are flags on the data — not problems with the property.
Assessment frozen for a decade
The assessed value hasn't moved once in 12 years of records while the city around it repriced. That usually means the parcel is falling through the reassessment process, not that its value is flat.
Run the numbers
What owning 1639 E Berks St takes, at your price and your rate. Taxes are this house's actual bill from the city record; rent starts at the area median. Assessed value is not an asking price — set the price slider to the real one.
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 from this parcel's record.
Block context
1639 E Berks St sits on the 1600 block of E Berks St. Open the block report to compare its parcels, ownership and public-record history.
See the whole block →Next door: 1637 E Berks St · 1641 E Berks St
Where this comes from
- Assessment, spec sheet & owner — OPA Property Assessments, Office of Property Assessment
- Sales & deed history — Realty Transfer Tax records, Recorder of Deeds
- Permits, violations & inspections — L&I Property History · Atlas
- Back taxes & liens — Real Estate Tax Balances, Dept. of Revenue
- Zoning appeals — L&I & Zoning Board appeals
- Neighborhood income & rents — US Census ACS 5-year estimates
- Historical mortgage rates — Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, annual averages
- Imagery — Street photo © Google · Aerial © Esri, Maxar
Methodology & freshness
City datasets are fetched live from OpenDataPhilly (phl.carto.com) and cached briefly. Dossiers re-pull automatically — on view once they're a few weeks old, plus a nightly rolling sweep — and citywide benchmarks recompute weekly. AI-written passages are generated from these records only and rejected if they state a number the record doesn't hold.
First time here?
This is 1639 E Berks St,
on paper.
Built 1920. Every deed, permit, L&I visit, tax bill and sale for this house — plus its whole block.
No signup, no teaser
The whole record is free.
Permits, violations, taxes, deeds, ownership, and block context are all here. The public record is free to read; membership is for deeper research.
Three taps, you're oriented
What to catch on the way down.
On the way down: the story of the house, its paper trail drawn on the value chart, and run-the-numbers, a calculator seeded with this house's actual tax bill.
Official city record ↗ · L&I history ↗ · See the whole block · Download this record (JSON)