House report

29 W Gowen Ave

4 bd · 2 ba · 1 story · 1,678 sqft · RSA5 · built 1925

Owner-occupancy signal · assessed $474K (2026) · 2027 OPA assessment $481K · sold 2×. On the 0 block of W Gowen Ave.

Street view of 29 W Gowen Ave
From the street — imagery © Google
From above · selected parcel outlined; choose a neighboring polygon to open it — imagery © Esri, Maxar
BlockReport AI · cited public records

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Property summary

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

Question or correct this record

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

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$5,239/year

2026 taxable assessment $374,300 × 1.3998%. Estimate—not a bill or account balance.

OPA also publishes a 2027 assessment of $481,300; 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 092128500
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

Permit between transfers

Record summary

$208K transfer in 2013; plumbing permit in 2013; $390K transfer in 2019 (+88% between recorded amounts).

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 1925: 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.

If you own it

3 open violations: the clock matters

Most L&I appeals must be filed within 30 days; unsafe or imminently dangerous orders can carry a shorter deadline. Unresolved notices can lead to fees, court enforcement, City abatement work, and liens. Read the dated notice and verify its current status with L&I.

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.

Assessment and tax history

Every fetched annual City assessment for this house, compared with its block and ZIP. The figures show assessment change, the billed-year tax estimate, dated tax records, and recorded transfers. They do not estimate market appreciation or investment return.

Assessed value
$474,300
2026 billed-year assessment · 2027: $481,300 · built 1925
Price / sq ft
$287
block $287 · in line w/ block
Assessment change
+150%
+9%/yr since 2016 · 2027 +1% vs 2026
Est. tax bill / yr
$5,239
1.1% effective
Jun 2022 tax snapshot
No match
not proof the account is current
Times sold
2

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

$0$250K$500KZIP 19119 median$481K201320162019202220252027
Property assessmentBlock median & rangeZIP 19119 medianAssessmentDeed / saleL&I violationAppealPermitInspection

Scroll horizontally to move through the years. Each icon sits on its recorded date; records without a day are labeled and centered within their year. Select one to explain the filing.

Highlight
Every dated record12 events · exact dates, newest first
  1. AppealLIRB Retaining Wall
  2. L&I violationUNSAFE STRUCTURE
  3. L&I violationEXTERIOR WALLS
  4. L&I violationARCHITECT/ENGINEER SERVICES
  5. InspectionL&I investigation
  6. Deed / saleDeed / sale $390K
  7. PermitZoning
  8. PermitMajor alteration
  9. PermitElectrical
  10. PermitAlteration
  11. PermitPlumbing
  12. Deed / saleDeed / sale $208K

The paper trail

$208K transfer in 2013; plumbing permit in 2013; $390K transfer in 2019 (+88% between recorded amounts).

  1. 2013 PlumbingPermit$208KTransferAlterationPermitElectricalPermit
  2. 2015 ZoningPermitMajor alterationPermit
  3. 2019 $390KTransfer
  4. 2024 3 L&I violations incl UNSAFE STRUCTUREL&IInspection failedL&I visit
  5. 2026 Appeal continuedZoning

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 12 dated records deeds, permits, inspections, licenses, violations, certifications & appeals
  1. AppealLIRB Retaining Wall

    Appeal HA-2024-004774 · In Process · Continued

    See attached

  2. ViolationUNSAFE STRUCTURE

    Case CF-2024-119614 · Violation VI-2024-092084 · OPEN

  3. ViolationEXTERIOR WALLS

    Case CF-2024-119614 · Violation VI-2024-092085 · OPEN

  4. ViolationARCHITECT/ENGINEER SERVICES

    Case CF-2024-119614 · Violation VI-2024-092086 · OPEN

  5. InvestigationL&I investigation

    Case CF-2024-119614 · FAILED

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

  6. Recorded transfer$390K transfer

    2019

  7. PermitZoning

    Permit 618213 · COMPLETED

    ERRECT A 12' X 12' DECK IN ACCORDANCE WITH ATTACHED EZ DECK PERMIT STANDARD. DEVIATION FROM THIS PERMIT WILL RESULT IN REVOKATION OF PERMIT PA LICENSE# 092750

  8. PermitMajor alteration

    Permit 618220 · COMPLETED

    ERRECT A 12' X 12' DECK IN ACCORDANCE WITH ATTACHED EZ DECK PERMIT STANDARD. DEVIATION FROM THIS PERMIT WILL RESULT IN REVOKATION OF PERMIT PA LICENSE# 092750

  9. PermitElectrical

    Permit 490998 · COMPLETED

    200A SERVICE UPGRADE , REWIRE FRONT BEDROOM & BATHROOM HARDWIRED SMOKE DETECTORS, RUN ADDITIONAL CIRCUIT FOR FUTURE USE AS PER NEC 2008 (SFD)

  10. PermitAlteration

    Permit 463090 · COMPLETED

    RENOVATIONS OF BATHROOM. REMOVAL OF PLASTER FROM EXISTING WALLS AND NON BEARINF PARTITIONS. REMOVAL OF FLOOR COVERING. INSTALLATION OF GYPSUM WALL BOARD. INSTALLATION OF NEW PARTITION WALLS. INSTALLATION OF NEW FLOORS, REPLACEMENT OF DOORS IN EXISTING SPACES.

  11. PermitPlumbing

    Permit 455975 · COMPLETED

    REPLACE STACK

  12. Recorded transfer$208K transfer

    2013

What this record suggests

The City file documents 5 permits touching bathroom work, electrical work, plumbing. 5 carries a completed, issued, or approved status; that documents the filing, not the present quality of the work.

Flags: 3 open L&I violations · 1 zoning/board appeal on record. 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
4
Bathrooms
2
Stories
1
Interior
1,678 sqft
livable area
Lot
1,538 sqft
Basement
Full
city code D
Heat
Hot water / radiators
city code B
Central air
No
Garage
1 space
Exterior condition
Average
city code 4
Interior condition
Above average
city code 3
Quality grade
C+
assessor's grade
Zoning
RSA5
city zoning code
Zoning appeals
1
In Process · Continued · 2026

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

Run the numbers

What owning 29 W Gowen 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.

$481K
20%
6.875%
$1K/mo

When this house last sold (2019) a 30-year mortgage ran about 3.94% — Freddie Mac's average that year.

Mortgage
P&I · 30-yr fixed
All-in monthly
+ taxes & insurance
Estimated cash needed
down + 4% planning allowance
Modeled cash flow
rent − shown costs · /mo
Modeled cap rate
modeled NOI ÷ price
Modeled cash-on-cash
modeled year-1 return

Scenario for orientation, not advice. Assumes a 30-year fixed loan, $1,400/yr insurance, 1% of price/yr maintenance, and buyer cash equal to the down payment plus 4%. Taxes use this parcel's taxable assessment, not a live Tax Center balance. Cash flow and returns exclude vacancy, management, utilities, HOA or condo fees, leasing costs, income tax, and unplanned capital work.

Block context

29 W Gowen Ave sits on the 0 block of W Gowen Ave. Open the block report to compare its parcels, ownership and public-record history.

See the whole block →

Next door: 27 W Gowen Ave  ·  31 W Gowen Ave

Where this comes from

Methodology & freshness

This report was assembled Jul 10, 2026, 3:29 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)