2026 taxable assessment $201,500 × 1.3998%. Estimate—not a bill or account balance.
OPA also publishes a 2027 assessment of $178,700; it is not the 2026 billed-year value.
Multi-family report
3938 Elser St
3 stories · 1,890 sqft · RSA5 · built 1930
Absentee individual · assessed $202K (2026) · 2027 OPA assessment $179K · sold 1×. On the 3900 block of Elser St.
Property summary
Assessment$201,5002026 OPA assessment · 2027: $178,700
Last sale$194Recorded 2003
Est. tax bill$2,821/year2026 taxable assessment × 1.3998%
Tax delinquency$27City snapshot · Jun 2022
Permits0Every fetched City permit
Violations1 open16 historical across 4 cases
“Open” reflects records available then historical records keep their source dates estimates are labeled
BlockReport AI · cited public records
Ask the questions this record raises.
Every choice opens the research chat with this property already in context. Curated questions are free.
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:
Property tax
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.
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 1322349002026 taxable assessment equals the full assessed value.
Historical delinquency sources Record found
$27.20 was recorded for this parcel in Philadelphia's June 2022 delinquency snapshot for 2021. That amount may have been paid, reduced, or increased since; it is not a current payoff figure.
$20.72 principal$1.09 interest$1.24 penalty$4.15 other charges
The snapshot’s 2022 context used $98,700 total assessment, $98,700 taxable, and $0 exempt/abated. Those historical fields can differ from today’s OPA exemption status.
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 recordHistory
Why it matterssold $194 (2003); 7 L&I violations (2018); 7 L&I violations (2019); L&I: 2 failed, 1 passed (2019); L&I violation (2020); Inspection failed ×4 (2020); L&I violation (2023); L&I: 1 failed, 2 passed (2023); Inspection failed (2024).
View supporting records →Records to verify together
Rule-based groupings across this property's dated public records. Each flag shows the records that belong in the same verification step and where the inference stops.
Records to verify together
More than one separately dated public record deserves a current-status check.
Evidence: 1 open L&I violation · $27 appeared in the City's June 2022 delinquency snapshot · failed L&I inspection activity in 2024
Limit: A screening signal, not a foreclosure prediction. Tax entries are historical and must be verified with Philadelphia Revenue.
Assessment/permit mismatch
The assessment jumped 237% in 2023, but no matching permit appears in the property timeline.
Evidence: assessment moved from $98,700 to $332,700 · no permit shown in 2022-2024
Limit: Not proof of unpermitted work; reassessment, corrected data, or a permit under another parcel can also explain it.
Transparent record rules, not a score or forecast. Each flag is a prompt to verify the cited records, not a prediction or allegation.
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 1930: 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.
Multiple units and RSA5 zoning need reconciliation
The assessment or license record describes multiple units while the zoning district is generally single-family. That does not establish whether the use is lawful, nonconforming, abandoned, or incorrectly coded. Verify the registered use and Certificate of Occupancy with L&I before pricing multiple rents.
If you own it
1 open violation: 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.
$27 in the June 2022 delinquency snapshot
The City recorded this amount in June 2022. It may since have been paid, reduced, or increased; verify the current balance directly with Philadelphia Revenue.
If you’re the landlord
If it is rented, verify the Rental License
The fetched license records do not show an active Rental License. Ownership type or a tax mailing address does not prove that tenants occupy the property; if it is rented, verify the current license and legal occupancy in eCLIPSE.
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 building 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
$201,500
2026 billed-year assessment · 2027: $178,700 · built 1930
Price / sq ft
$95
block $76 · above block
Appreciation
+27%
+2%/yr, city 6.5%
In 5 years (~2031)
~$179K
+2%/yr own pace held 5 yrs — extrapolation, not a forecast
Est. tax bill / yr
$2,821
1.58% effective
Jun 2022 tax snapshot
$27
recorded then · verify current
Gross yield
5.7%
≈$852/mo rent
Times sold
1
Value vs. the block, over time — sales, permits & L&I events marked on the line
This houseBlock median & rangeL&I violationPermitInspection
Highlight
The paper trail
Historysold $194 (2003); 7 L&I violations (2018); 7 L&I violations (2019); L&I: 2 failed, 1 passed (2019); L&I violation (2020); Inspection failed ×4 (2020); L&I violation (2023); L&I: 1 failed, 2 passed (2023); Inspection failed (2024).
- 2003 $194Sold
- 2018 7 L&I violationsL&I
- 2019 7 L&I violationsL&IL&I: 2 failed, 1 passedL&I visit
- 2020 L&I violationL&IInspection failed ×4L&I visit
- 2023 L&I violationL&IL&I: 1 failed, 2 passedL&I visit
- 2024 Inspection failedL&I visit
City record timeline
Every dated deed, permit, inspection, license, violation, certification, and appeal—together.
The timeline combines the report’s transfer history with every successfully fetched L&I and zoning row. A date or status is the City’s filed record, not a statement that the condition remains current; use the official file for live detail.
- Recorded owner
- Individual owner on record
- L&I district
- NORTH
- OPA account
- 132234900
What this record suggests
1 violation is still marked open in the assembled record. The date and status belong in a current L&I check before relying on them.
- InvestigationL&I investigation
Case 723894 · FAILED
- InvestigationL&I investigation
Case CF-2023-011842 · PASSED
- ViolationRENTAL LICENSE- ONE & TWO FAMILY (R3)
Case CF-2023-011842 · Violation VI-2023-009242 · CLOSED
- InvestigationL&I investigation
Case 712522 · PASSED
- InvestigationL&I investigation
Case CF-2023-011842 · FAILED
- InvestigationHCEU INSP
Case 712522 · FAILED
- ViolationMULTI FAMILY (R2)
Case 723894 · Violation 211988382 · CLOSED
- ViolationELECTRICAL -HAZARD
Case 712522 · Violation 211974598 · CLOSED
- ViolationEXTERIOR AREA DRAINAGE
Case 712522 · Violation 211974601 · CLOSED
- ViolationEXTERIOR STRUCT HDRAILS GDRAIL
Case 712522 · Violation 211974600 · CLOSED
- ViolationEXTERIOR STRUCT ROOF DRAINAGE
Case 712522 · Violation 211974599 · CLOSED
- ViolationPLUMBING SYSTEMS-GENERAL
Case 712522 · Violation 211974636 · CLOSED
- ViolationINTERIOR DOORS
Case 712522 · Violation 211974597 · CLOSED
- ViolationEXTERIOR STRUCTURE WINDOWS
Case 712522 · Violation 211974637 · CLOSED
- InvestigationPRECOURT
Case 656655 · PASSED
- InvestigationHCEU INSP
Case 656655 · CLOSED
- InvestigationHCEU INSP
Case 656655 · FAILED
- ViolationEXTERIOR STRUCT ROOF DRAINAGE
Case 656655 · Violation 5019022 · COMPLIED
- ViolationPLUMBING SYSTEMS-GENERAL
Case 656655 · Violation 5019024 · COMPLIED
- ViolationELECTRICAL -HAZARD
Case 656655 · Violation 5019025 · COMPLIED
- ViolationINTERIOR DOORS
Case 656655 · Violation 5019023 · COMPLIED
- ViolationEXTERIOR AREA DRAINAGE
Case 656655 · Violation 5019019 · COMPLIED
- ViolationEXTERIOR STRUCTURE WINDOWS
Case 656655 · Violation 5019021 · COMPLIED
- ViolationEXTERIOR STRUCT HDRAILS GDRAIL
Case 656655 · Violation 5019020 · COMPLIED
- LicenseRental
License 786767 · Inactive
,SAID SHOSHANA BENABU ASHER · Expires 2019-08-20 · Inactive 2019-10-19
- LicenseRental
License 449444 · Inactive
BENABU ASHER (BENABU NIR) · Expires 2010-02-28 · Inactive 2012-12-22
- InvestigationL_INITIAL
Case 22317 · CLOSED
- Recorded transfer$194 transfer
2003
Free record guide
How Philadelphia’s property system works
These explainers are free because the record only helps if you know what it can—and cannot—prove. Use the linked City guidance for the controlling rule.
Permits and inspections
A permit is the City’s authorization and review pathway for construction or repair work. No fetched permit is not proof that no work ever happened.
L&I inspections are scheduled at defined stages; final inspection and required certifications are separate steps in closing out applicable work.
How construction and repair permits work ↗See City inspection stages by permit type ↗Assessments and taxes
The OPA assessment is the City’s value on the tax roll—not an asking price, appraisal, or live account balance. The taxable assessment can differ from the full assessment because the City roll records exemptions or other treatment; the report keeps those fields separate.
Your annual estimate uses the taxable assessment. Payments, credits, interest, and the amount due are maintained separately in Tax Center.
How the Office of Property Assessment works ↗Philadelphia property-tax guidance ↗Violations, cases, and status check current status
An open row is a dated City status, not a diagnosis of current condition or a conclusion about the property. Read the case, notice, and any subsequent inspection together, then verify the live file.
How L&I code enforcement works ↗City violation and order types ↗Flags: 1 open L&I violation · $27 recorded in the June 2022 delinquency snapshot — verify current balance. 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.
Stories
3
Interior
1,890 sqft
livable area
Lot
2,009 sqft
Exterior condition
Average
city code 4
Above averageBelow average
Interior condition
Average
city code 4
Above averageBelow average
Quality grade
C+
assessor's grade
ABCDE
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 3938 Elser St 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.
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
3938 Elser St sits on the 3900 block of Elser St. Open the block report to compare its parcels, ownership and public-record history.
See the whole block →Next door: 3940-48 Elser St · 3934-36 Elser 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
- Tax delinquency snapshot · June 2022 — Real Estate Tax Delinquencies, Dept. of Revenue
- Historical tax ledger & liens · through 2016 — Real Estate Tax Balances, Dept. of Revenue
- Current property-tax balance — Verify with Philadelphia 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
This report was assembled Jul 10, 2026, 7:14 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)