Public Records
Edition
Philadelphia4200 block of Cottman AveJuly 9, 2026

House report

4249 Cottman Ave

4 bd · 2 ba · 2 stories · 1,792 sqft · RSA5 · built 1950

Absentee individual · assessed $247K · sold 2×. On the 4200 block of Cottman Ave.

Street view of 4249 Cottman Ave
From the street — imagery © Google
From above — imagery © Esri, Maxar
The story of this houseAI · written from the public record

Reading this house's deeds, permits and assessments…

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 1950: 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’re the landlord

Lead certificate is not optional

Built 1950: every rental unit needs a lead-safe or lead-free certificate on file with the City. Without one: fines up to $2,000/day per unit, tenants may withhold rent, courts can order rent refunded — and no eviction will stand.

Licensed rental — keep it that way

Renewal requires city tax clearance and zero open L&I violations on the property. A lapsed license suspends the right to collect rent or evict.

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 analyst below to dig into any number.

Assessed value
$247K
built 1950
Price / sq ft
$138
block $142 · in line w/ block
Appreciation
+74%
+5%/yr, city 6.5%
In 5 years (~2031)
~$248K
+5%/yr own pace held 5 yrs — extrapolation, not a forecast
Est. tax / yr
$3K
1.4% effective
Gross yield
—
Times sold
2
licensed rental

Value vs. the block, over time — sales, permits & L&I events marked on the line

$0$250K$500KBefore this chart — 2015: Electrical 2015: Plumbing2018: 5 L&I violations2019: 6 L&I violations2020: Sold $220K 2020: L&I violation2021: Appeal withdrawn2022: Change of Use 2022: Addition and/or Alteration 2022: Addition and/or Alteration 2022: Alterations2025: L&I violation$247K201620222027
This houseBlock median & rangeSaleL&I violationZoningPermit
The paper trailImproved

Bought for $220K in 2020. Owner pulled a alterations permit in 2022.

  1. 2015 ElectricalPermitPlumbingPermit
  2. 2018 5 L&I violationsL&I
  3. 2019 6 L&I violationsL&I
  4. 2020 $220KSoldL&I violationL&I
  5. 2021 Appeal withdrawnZoning
  6. 2022 Change of UsePermitAddition and/or AlterationPermitAddition and/or AlterationPermitAlterationsPermit
  7. 2025 L&I violationL&I

Flags: active rental license · 1 zoning/board appeal on record. 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.

Bedrooms
4
Bathrooms
2
Stories
2
Interior
1,792 sqft
livable area
Lot
1,809 sqft
Basement
Full, unfinished
city code C
Heat
Hot water / radiators
city code B
Central air
No
Garage
1 space
Exterior condition
Average
city code 4
Interior condition
Average
city code 4
Zoning
RSA5
city zoning code
Zoning appeals
1
withdrawn 2021

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

Run the numbers

What owning 4249 Cottman Ave 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.

$247K
20%
6.875%
$2K/mo

When this house last sold (2020) a 30-year mortgage ran about 3.1% — 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 from this parcel's record.

Next door: 4247 Cottman Ave  ·  4245 Cottman Ave

Where this comes from

City datasets are fetched live from OpenDataPhilly (phl.carto.com) and cached briefly. AI-written passages are generated from these records only and rejected if they state a number the record doesn't hold.

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