House report
815-23 Cathedral Rd
58,982 sqft · RSA1 · built 1952
Absentee individual · assessed $5.9M. On the 800 block of Cathedral Rd.
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
Today's $1,952/yr reflects a 10-year abatement. It jumps to about $82,716/yr by 2026 — $80,764/yr more. Price the full bill, not the current one.
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.
Single-family (detached/semi-detached). 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 most recent recorded deed moved for nominal consideration. That is where tangled-title problems live — budget a real title search. (Occupants untangling an inherited deed can get help from the city's Tangled Title Fund.)
If you’re the landlord
If this property is rented, Philadelphia requires a Rental License (via eCLIPSE) — without it a landlord cannot legally collect rent or evict, and tenants can withhold. Licensing needs tax clearance and no open violations.
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.
Value vs. the block, over time — sales, permits & L&I events marked on the line
built new under a 2017 permit (tax-abated).
- 2017 MechanicalPermitElectricalPermit
- 2018 ElectricalPermitAdministrativePermit
- 2024 Addition and/or AlterationPermitNew Construction or AdditionsPermitAddition and/or AlterationPermit
- 2025 AlterationsPermit
Flags: tax-abated — the bill lags real value. Informational only — not investment advice or a consumer report (FCRA).
The abatement clock
This house pays about $1,952/yr under a 10-year tax abatement. By 2026 the bill reaches its full ~$82,716/yr — a step up of $80,764/yr. Drag the slider.
now: ($5,909,100 assessed − $5,769,652 abated) × 1.3998% ≈ $1,952/yr
2026: $5,909,100 assessed × 1.3998% ≈ $82,716/yr
Flat 100% exemption (pre-2022 program, started 2016), then the cliff — reassessments move both lines. After expiry an owner-occupant can claim the Homestead Exemption (~$1,400/yr off); an abated home can't hold both.
The house, on paper
The city assessor's field record — the physical spec sheet behind the assessed number.
OPA field-assessment attributes. Condition and grade are the assessor's codes, not an inspection.
Run the numbers
What owning 815-23 Cathedral Rd 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.
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 (with the abatement toggle above).
Next door: 825 Cathedral Rd · 827 Cathedral Rd
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
- Back taxes & liens — Real Estate Tax Balances, Dept. of 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
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.
First time here?
This is 815-23 Cathedral Rd,
on paper.
Built 1952. Every deed, permit, L&I visit, tax bill and sale for this house — plus its whole block.
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The whole record is free.
Who owns what, what they paid, what they built, what they owe. Scroll and it's all here — the paid part is not the data.
The good part
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Official city record ↗ · L&I history ↗ · See the whole block · Download this record (JSON)