Free Chicago apartment background check

42 N Parkside Ave

Austin, Chicago IL 60644 16084220150000 2 units · 1908

This building has a substantial enforcement record over the last seven years, and our model sees a moderate chance of more in the next 12 months. Read the records below before you sign. Ask which issues were resolved, get repair commitments in writing, and inspect the unit yourself.

Building Violations (7y) vs. neighborhood
Records already on file, against a typical building in Austin — not a forecast
Above average
avg 1.6
5
FewerMore

This building has 5 building violations (7y), above the Austin average of 1.6.

Building characteristics
Units2
Year built1908
Stories
Building area2,434 sq ft
Property class211
PIN (Cook County parcel)16084220150000
Ownership

Registered owner per Cook County Assessor records.

Owner name
Mailing address
42 Parkside Avenue

Landlord portfolio

Other Chicago properties this owner holds, with a risk rating for each.

Unlock complete report
Augrented Insights
Initial analysis

The two-unit residential building at 42 N Parkside Ave in Chicago's Austin neighborhood, owned by Clarence & Shi Mathena, has been in existence since 1908 and has experienced several notable issues in recent years. Most concerning are the four unresolved building code violations related to periodic routine inspections, all of which were documented on May 7, 2026. While the building has had five total building violations recorded over the past seven years, only one building permit has been issued during this period. The property has faced multiple pest control challenges, with three separate rodent baiting/rat complaints registered between August and September 2025, all of which were subsequently closed. Infrastructure issues have also been present, particularly with the alley conditions adjacent to the property, as evidenced by two pothole complaints filed in September 2025. A water management issue was reported and resolved earlier this year, though the nature of the "check for leak" request suggests there may have been plumbing concerns. The only previously recorded periodic routine inspection violation, from April 2021, has been resolved.

AI-generated · may contain errors · check the source data tables below

Free account unlocks the full analysis — plus 2× more records across all data categories and the complete landlord portfolio.
Risk rating

How 42 N Parkside Ave's risk score is calculated

We trained a model on 7 years of Chicago code enforcement data — building violations, 311 complaint history, environmental enforcement, and owner track records. It estimates the probability that the City of Chicago will find a code violation at this address in the next 12 months. Lower % = safer.

What the score means for you

Lower risk — safer than most nearby

City inspectors rarely find violations here. Strong maintenance history and a clean complaint record.

Typical — about average for the neighborhood

Some past violations or complaints on record. Worth asking the landlord about any open issues before signing.

Higher risk — riskier than most nearby

Elevated violation and complaint history. City inspectors have found issues here before and are statistically likely to again.

Neighborhood percentile
11thpercentile

Out of 7223 buildings in this neighborhood, 6428 are predicted to be safer. The band is relative to this neighborhood, so a share of every neighborhood falls in each colour.

RiskiestSafest
Predicted 12-month outcome
41%
No code
violation
59%
Code violation
likely
Model explanation

What's driving this score

The data points that most influenced this building's risk rating — ranked by the weight the model placed on each one.

Location

Precise location is a proxy for area-level risk — some Chicago zip codes have systematically higher code-enforcement activity.

Code violations (past 7 years)

City of Chicago Department of Buildings violations issued at this address over the last 7 years — a direct record of enforcement activity.

Violation rate, owner's portfolio

Per-property violation rate across the owner's portfolio.

12-Month risk forecast
Moderate failure risk 59%
Estimated probability of a code violation in the next 12 months.
Apartment reviews

42 N Parkside Ave apartment reviews

Real experiences from people who have lived here. Share yours to help other renters decide.

Share your experience — Help other renters by leaving an honest apartment review

Loading reviews…

On the map

Compare nearby alternatives

This building and nearby alternatives in Austin, color-coded by risk level. Click any marker to explore.

The story over time

42 N Parkside Ave event timeline

Building violations, environmental complaints and enforcement, permits, scofflaw listings, and 311 calls — most recent records in order.

2026
311 Request Jul 06
Rodent Baiting/Rat Complaint
311 City Services
Building ViolationMay 07
PERIODIC

See all 10 events

Full history back to 2021 — violations, complaints, permits, and 311 calls.

Unlock complete timeline
Every record we have

Full data for 42 N Parkside Ave apartments

Chicago public datasets for this parcel — building violations, permits, 311 calls, environmental complaints and enforcement, scofflaw listings, and vacant building registrations.

Side by side

How 42 N Parkside Ave compares to the neighborhood

This building against comparable properties in Austin. Toggle filters to narrow the peer group.

Loading comparables…
Still apartment hunting in Chicago?

Look up the next apartment before you sign

Search any Chicago address free — no account needed to see the risk rating.

Simple pricing

Get the complete picture

Every plan unlocks the complete report: all Chicago datasets, full history, landlord portfolio, and PDF & Excel exports.

Pay once

Report Bundle

For the buildings you're deciding on right now

$10one time

3premium reports

$3.33 per report · charged once, never renews

Each credit unlocks one building's premium report for 30 days.

  • 3 premium reports — AI executive summary included
  • Live data across all 27 public record types
  • 200 records per dataset
  • PDF & Excel exports included
  • Compare up to 10 buildings side-by-side
  • Credits never expire until you use them
Pay once

Apartment Hunter

For a wide search across many buildings

$39one time

30premium reports

$1.30 per report · charged once, never renews

Each credit unlocks one building's premium report for 30 days.

  • 30 premium reports — AI executive summary included
  • Live data across all 27 public record types
  • 200 records per dataset
  • PDF & Excel exports included
  • Compare up to 10 buildings side-by-side
  • Credits never expire until you use them

Cancel anytime · Data sourced from the City of Chicago Department of Buildings, Chicago 311, Cook County Assessor & the Chicago Data Portal

Watch 42 N Parkside Ave
Get alerted the moment a new violation or complaint is filed.