Multi-family report

821 N Franklin St

6 bd · 4 ba · 3 stories · 2,782 sqft · RM1 · built 1915

Owner-occupied · assessed $870K · 4 licensed units · sold 2×. On the 800 block of N Franklin St.

Property summary

“Open” reflects records available then historical records keep their source dates estimates are labeled

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Street view of 821 N Franklin St
From the street — imagery © Google
From above — imagery © Esri, Maxar

What stands out

From the public record
Finding

New construction

Why it matters

Bought for $280K in 2015, built new under a 2015 permit (tax-abated), sold for $800K in 2017.

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

The current tax estimate is temporary

The taxable assessment implies about $4,272/yr under a 10-year abatement. It jumps to about $12,178/yr in 2029 — $7,906/yr more. Underwrite the post-abatement estimate and verify the actual bill with Revenue.

Built 1915: 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.

If you own it

When the abatement ends, file for Homestead

An abated home cannot also take the Homestead Exemption. From 2029 it can — knocking about $1,400/yr off the full bill.

If you’re the landlord

Lead certificate is not optional

Built 1915: 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 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
$870K
built 1915
Price / sq ft
$313
block $253 · above block
Appreciation
+286%
+13%/yr, city 6.5%
In 5 years (~2031)
~$876K
+13%/yr own pace held 5 yrs — extrapolation, not a forecast
Est. tax / yr
$4K
0.49% effective, abated
Jun 2022 tax snapshot
Gross yield
1.2%
≈$869/mo rent
Times sold
2
kept in the family

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

$0$500K$1.0MBefore this chart — 2015: Sold $280K 2015: Plumbing2016: Electrical 2016: Suppression 2016: Mechanical2017: Sold $800K 2017: Zoning 2017: Major alteration2018: Use 2018: L&I violation 2018: L&I: 2 failed, 1 passed2023: Change of Use$870K201620222027
This houseBlock median & rangeSaleL&I violationPermit

The paper trail

Bought for $280K in 2015, built new under a 2015 permit (tax-abated), sold for $800K in 2017.

  1. 2015 $280KSoldPlumbingPermit
  2. 2016 ElectricalPermitSuppressionPermitMechanicalPermit
  3. 2017 $800KSoldZoningPermitMajor alterationPermit
  4. 2018 UsePermitL&I violationL&IL&I: 2 failed, 1 passedL&I visit
  5. 2023 Change of UsePermit

Flags: tax-abated — the bill lags real value · active rental license · long-held within one family. Informational only — not investment advice or a consumer report (FCRA).

The abatement clock

This house’s taxable assessment implies about $4,272/yr under a 10-year tax abatement. In 2029 the assessment-based estimate reaches ~$12,178/yr — a step up of $7,906/yr, 2 assessment years out. Drag the slider.

2016: ~$3,151/yr2017: ~$3,151/yr2018: ~$3,151/yr2019: ~$4,060/yr2020: ~$4,060/yr2021: ~$4,060/yr2022: ~$4,060/yr2023: ~$4,269/yr2024: ~$4,269/yr2025: ~$4,272/yr2026: ~$4,272/yr2027: ~$4,272/yr2028: ~$4,272/yr (projected)2029: ~$12,178/yr (projected)2030: ~$12,178/yr (projected)201620292030
2027~$4,272/yrestimated from assessment

now: ($870,000 assessed − $564,814 abated) × 1.3998% ≈ $4,272/yr 2029: $870,000 assessed × 1.3998% ≈ $12,178/yr Flat 100% exemption (pre-2022 program, started 2019), 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.

Bedrooms
6
Bathrooms
4
Stories
3
Interior
2,782 sqft
livable area
Lot
1,845 sqft
Basement
Full
city code D
Heat
Forced hot air
city code A
Central air
Yes
Exterior condition
Above average
city code 3
Interior condition
Above average
city code 3
Quality grade
B-
assessor's grade
Zoning
RM1
city zoning code

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

Run the numbers

What owning 821 N Franklin 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 4 licensed units × ~85% of the area's median unit rent — the whole building's income, not one unit's. Assessed value is not an asking price — set the price slider to the real one.

$870K
20%
6.875%
$3K/mo

When this house last sold (2017) a 30-year mortgage ran about 3.99% — 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, $2,800/yr insurance, 1% of price/yr maintenance; taxes from this parcel's record (with the abatement toggle above).

Block context

821 N Franklin St sits on the 800 block of N Franklin St. Open the block report to compare its parcels, ownership and public-record history.

See the whole block →

Next door: 819 N Franklin St  ·  823 N Franklin St

Where this comes from

Methodology & freshness

Available City datasets are queried from OpenDataPhilly (phl.carto.com), then reports are cached and refreshed on a rolling schedule. Source dates vary: the parcel-level tax-delinquency snapshot is June 2022 and the separate detailed tax ledger ends in 2016, so neither establishes today’s balance. Other dossiers re-pull on view once stale, and citywide benchmarks recompute weekly. 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)