2026 taxable assessment $289,300 × 1.3998%. Estimate—not a bill or account balance.
OPA also publishes a 2027 assessment of $363,100; it is not the 2026 billed-year value.
Apartment building report
541 E Wister St
3 stories · 3,897 sqft · RSA3 · built 1925
Apartment building · Wister Development LLC · assessed $289K (2026) · 2027 OPA assessment $363K. On the 500 block of E Wister St.
Property summary
Assessment$289,3002026 OPA assessment · 2027: $363,100
Last sale$225KRecorded 2025
Est. tax bill$4,050/year2026 taxable assessment × 1.3998%
Tax delinquency—Snapshot unavailable
Permits1Dated events in report
Violations0 openNo historical match in fetched records
“Open” reflects records available then historical records keep their source dates estimates are labeled
BlockReport AI · cited public records
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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 8810560532026 taxable assessment equals the full assessed value.
Historical delinquency sources No current conclusion
The June 2022 delinquency snapshot was not verifiably available in this cached report. No conclusion about a match—or today’s balance—can be drawn from that absence.
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 recordNew construction
Why it mattersBought for $225K in 2017, built new under a 2026 permit, sold for $225K in 2025.
View supporting records →City Property History
Fetched L&I and zoning records
Every row successfully fetched for this report is counted below. Dataset availability and matching can differ from the City's interactive file; use the official link for current detail.
- Recorded owner
- Wister Development LLC
- Tax mailing address
- 1 UNION AVE #1000, BALA CYNWYD PA, 19004
- L&I district
- —
- Building ID (BIN)
- —
- OPA account
- 881056053
Permits0Unavailable
Violation cases0Unavailable
Investigations0Unavailable
Building certifications0Unavailable
Business licenses0Unavailable
Appeals4Scheduled
PermitsPermit number, issued date, work and City status0
No permits matched this parcel in the fetched City dataset.
Violation cases0 individual violation records; resolved history remains visible0
No violation cases matched this parcel in the fetched City dataset.
InvestigationsEvery inspector visit, including CLOSED outcomes0
No investigations matched this parcel in the fetched City dataset.
Building certificationsInspection result and filed expiration date by L&I building ID0
No building certifications matched this parcel in the fetched City dataset.
Business licensesHistorical and active licenses are both retained0
No business licenses matched this parcel in the fetched City dataset.
AppealsApplication status and decision are separate City fields4
Zoning board appealAppeal 16923
Apr 17, 2012 CLOSED Withdrawn
PERMIT FOR USE AS FOUR (4) FAMILY DWELLING IN BUILDING # 1 ON THE SAME LOT WITH ONE (1) FAMILY DWELLING IN BUILDING # 2.
Zoning board appealAppeal 23158
Mar 11, 2015 OPEN Granted
PERMIT FOR A MULTI-FAMILY HOUSEHOLD LIVING (3 UNITS) IN AN EXISTING STRUCTURE.
ZBA Permit Denial - VarianceAppeal 36760
Sep 28, 2021 In Process Complete
**Resumption hearing** PERMIT FOR THE COMPLETE DEMOLITION OF EXISTING STRUCTURE ON LOT; FOR THE ERECTION OF AN ATTACHED STRUCTURE WITH ROOF ACCESSED STRUCTURE, BALCONIES FROM SECOND FLOOR THROUGH FOURTH(4TH ) FLOORS FOR A BUSINESS AND PROF
ZBA Permit Denial - VarianceAppeal ZP-2025-005306
Sep 2, 2026 Scheduled
PERMIT FOR THE ERECTION OF AN ATTACHED FOUR (4) STORY STRUCTURE A ROOF DECK (RESIDENTIAL USE ONLY) ACCESSED BY THREE (3) ROOF DECK ACCESS STRUCTURES, INCLUDING AN ELEVATOR AREA; FOR USE AS MULTI-FAMILY (TOTAL FORTY-SEVEN (47) DWELLING UNITS
City of Philadelphia OPA, L&I and Zoning Board records, shown as filed. A CLOSED investigation is an outcome label, not a missing visit; an appeal's application status and decision may differ.
Legal due diligence
What this record proves—and what it does not.
These checks are triggered by this property’s actual City rows. They identify the controlling document to verify; they do not declare a use legal, a building safe, or title clear.
1 resolve before relying
2 verify
Resolve before relyingZoning approval is not the occupancy fileAppeal #16923: CLOSED · Withdrawn.
Why it mattersPhiladelphia says a zoning approval or Property Sales Certification can identify a use without proving that it was established under the Building Code. A change of use, unit count, exits, or fire rating can require a Building Permit and Certificate of Occupancy.
Verify nextVerify the lawful use, unit count, associated construction permits, and Certificate of Occupancy with L&I.
Open the controlling City guidance ↗VerifyResidential form does not establish rental useOPA classifies the parcel as apartments; no active Rental License row matched.
Why it mattersA multi-unit or mixed-use classification does not prove that space is currently rented. If dwelling space is rented, Philadelphia generally requires a current Rental License and related occupancy, tax, violation, and lead compliance.
Verify nextConfirm actual occupancy first; if any unit is rented, verify the license and legal unit count with L&I.
Open the controlling City guidance ↗VerifyA separate Commercial Trash account may applyOPA classifies the parcel as apartments. BlockReport does not receive a current Commercial Trash account balance.
Why it mattersPhiladelphia charges qualifying small commercial, mixed-use, and multi-unit properties that use City collection; exemptions and private collection can change applicability. A use category alone does not prove a fee is due.
Verify nextCheck the Commercial Trash account inside the date-effective Property Payoff.
Open the controlling City guidance ↗Closing file: checks no public-record summary can replace5 documents/searches to assign before settlement
Property Sales Certification
The seller must obtain Philadelphia’s certificate showing the base zoning, last use in the zoning record, and open violations. The City warns that it does not prove Building Code occupancy or show zoning overlays.
Next: Obtain the fresh certificate and compare it with the CO, permits, and Atlas overlays.
Official guidance ↗Date-effective City Property Payoff
The Tax Center Property Payoff covers Real Estate Tax, Commercial Trash, and L&I abatement-work invoices. Philadelphia says it does not include business-tax debts or liens, water and sewer charges, or fines for code violations.
Next: Request the City statement effective through settlement; read every period and invoice.
Official guidance ↗Professional title and water-lien searches
OPA ownership, deed summaries, and a zero tax balance are not clear title. Mortgages, judgments, municipal claims, water liens, easements, heirs, and other encumbrances require separate searches.
Next: Use a Pennsylvania lawyer/title company and obtain owner’s title insurance; order the separate water search/payoff.
Official guidance ↗Separate water-lien guidance ↗Seller-specific tax relief is not the buyer’s bill
LOOP and low-income or senior Real Estate Tax freezes depend on the qualifying owner and continued program eligibility; a buyer cannot assume the seller’s capped or frozen bill continues. A separately verified property abatement often remains with the property for its remaining term, but program-specific new-owner filing, use, and tax-compliance conditions still must be confirmed—not inferred from the reduced assessment alone.
Next: Have Revenue or OPA identify every current benefit, model the buyer’s bill without seller-specific relief, and confirm any verified abatement in writing.
Official guidance ↗Separate water-lien guidance ↗Seller disclosure and independent inspections
For a covered Pennsylvania residential transfer, obtain the statutory seller disclosure. It reports the seller’s knowledge; it is not a warranty, title search, code review, or substitute for inspections. Because OPA dates this building before 1978, separately obtain the required federal/City lead disclosures and any test results.
Next: Have the agreement and disclosure reviewed for this transaction’s coverage and exceptions.
Official guidance ↗Informational only—not a legal opinion, title report, code inspection, tax payoff, or substitute for a Pennsylvania lawyer, title company, inspector, or tax professional.
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.
Post-purchase work pattern
A recorded purchase followed by 1 permit event matches the early part of a renovate-and-resell sequence.
Evidence: purchase recorded in 2025 · permit activity in 2026
Limit: This does not show that the property is listed or that a sale is planned.
Transparent record rules, not a score or forecast. Each flag is a prompt to verify the cited records, not a prediction or allegation.
Apartment buildingBuilding report
This is a apartment building, recorded under the city's apartments category. The homeowner tools (rent estimate, homestead playbook) don't apply, so they're hidden. The full record and owner trail are below.
What it is
Apartment building
Apts 5-50 Units Masonry
Owner
Wister Development Llc
OPA tax treatment
Assessed $289K
Taxable assessment on the roll
$ / sq ft
$93
below the $151 median for 3,983 apartments parcels citywide
Assessed value
$289,300
2026 OPA · 2027: $363,100
Interior area
3,897 sqft
Lot size
7,281 sqft
Stories
3
Built
1925
Zoning
RSA3
Who's behind it
Wister Development LLC · corporate / LLC owner
• Owns 2 properties across Philadelphia under this name, assessed at $660K combined
• Tax bills mail to 1 Union Ave #1000, Bala Cynwyd PA, 19004 — outside Philadelphia
Block context
541 E Wister St sits on the 500 block of E Wister St. Open the block report to compare its parcels, ownership and public-record history.
See the whole block →Next door: 543 E Wister St · 545l E Wister 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, 3:32 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. “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)