House report

5231 W Columbia Ave

1 story · 1,271 sqft · RSA5 · built 1925

Entity-held · assessed $22K (2026) · 2027 OPA assessment $22K. On the 5200 block of W Columbia Ave.

Street view of 5231 W Columbia 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$77/year

2026 taxable assessment $5,475 × 1.3998%. Estimate—not a bill or account balance.

OPA also publishes a 2027 assessment of $21,900; 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 886811514
Open Philadelphia Tax Center →Choose “View period balance” to see the tax year and any credit, interest, or delinquency.
Exemption classificationPartial assessment exemption — basis unverified

2026 OPA taxes $5,475 of $21,900 assessed. The assessment fields alone do not identify a program, approval date, expiration, or buyer eligibility.

Historical delinquency sources Record found

$1,858.86 was recorded for this parcel in Philadelphia's June 2022 delinquency snapshot. That amount may have been paid, reduced, or increased since; it is not a current payoff figure.

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

New construction

Record summary

new construction appears in a 2014 permit with a reduced taxable assessment shown.

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.

The last transfer used nominal consideration

The latest deed records $100 or less and shared-name parties. That is not a usable market-sale price and can reflect a family, estate, gift, correction, or entity transfer. Inspect the deed and order a title search rather than inferring the relationship or chain.

If you own it

$1,859 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

Lead certificate is not optional

Built 1925: 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 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.

Who's behind it

Centennial Village LP · corporate / LLC owner

• Owns 15 properties across Philadelphia under this name, assessed at $1.5M combined
• Tax bills mail to 1501 Cherry St, Philadelphia PA, 19102
• Holds an active rental license for this address
• The last transfer was a nominal/family deed, not an open-market sale

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
$21,900
2026 billed-year assessment · 2027: $21,900 · built 1925
Price / sq ft
$17
block $96 · below block
Assessment change
+15%
+1%/yr since 2016 · 2027 +0% vs 2026
Est. tax bill / yr
$77
0.35% effective, reduced taxable assessment
Jun 2022 tax snapshot
$2K
recorded then · verify current
Times sold
0
latest deed has shared-name parties

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

$0$100K$200KZIP 19131 median$22K2015201720192021202320252027
Property assessmentBlock median & rangeZIP 19131 medianAssessment

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.

The paper trail

new construction appears in a 2014 permit with a reduced taxable assessment shown.

  1. 2014 ZoningPermit
  2. 2016 UsePermitMajor alterationPermit
  3. 2017 PlumbingPermitElectricalPermitMechanicalPermitSuppressionPermitPlumbingPermit

Flags: material assessment exemption — legal basis and term unverified · active rental license · $2K recorded in the June 2022 delinquency snapshot — verify current balance · latest deed has shared-name parties — relationship unverified. 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
1
Interior
1,271 sqft
livable area
Lot
1,029 sqft
Heat
Undetermined
city code H
Exterior condition
Above average
city code 3
Interior condition
Above average
city code 3
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 5231 W Columbia 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.

$25K
20%
6.875%
$1K/mo
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

5231 W Columbia Ave sits on the 5200 block of W Columbia Ave. Open the block report to compare its parcels, ownership and public-record history.

See the whole block →

Next door: 5229 W Columbia Ave  ·  5227 W Columbia Ave

Where this comes from

Methodology & freshness

This report was assembled Jul 9, 2026, 5:08 PM 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. “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)