LLDesk vs alternatives
How LLDesk stacks up against the usual options.
Most NYC owners are already using something — a spreadsheet, a consultant, or a general property management tool. Here's an honest look at where each one works, where each one breaks, and where LLDesk fits.
The four options
Where each approach makes sense.
Spreadsheets
Cheap, infinitely flexible, and quietly catastrophic at scale.
Pros
- Free, fast to start.
- Anyone on your team can read them.
- Fine for one or two buildings.
Cons
- No live data — violations from HPD/DOB never auto-populate.
- No alerts. Filing windows close silently.
- Penalty math is manual; LL97 modeling is essentially impossible.
- Document storage drifts to email and shared drives.
- Onboarding a new team member takes weeks.
Break point: Around 5+ buildings, or when LL97 modeling becomes a board-level question.
Compliance consultants
Worth every penny — when the scope is right.
Pros
- Real expertise, especially for complex FISP and LL97 cases.
- Can handle filings end-to-end.
- Useful for one-off engineering reports.
Cons
- Typical retainer: $8,000–$60,000/year for a small NYC portfolio.
- You still don't have a real-time dashboard.
- You're paying senior hours for routine deadline tracking.
- Knowledge lives with the consultant, not your team.
Break point: Pair with software. Use consultants for engineering work, not for tracking what's due.
General-purpose property software
Great at rent rolls. Not built for NYC compliance.
Pros
- Solid for accounting, maintenance, and tenant comms.
- Already in your stack, probably.
Cons
- No NYC-specific compliance engine. LL97, LL11, LL152 don't exist as first-class concepts.
- Doesn't pull HPD/DOB/OATH violations.
- No QEWI workflow, no FISP cycle tracking, no LL84 benchmarking automation.
- Adding a 'compliance' tab is not the same as compliance software.
Break point: Keep using it for what it's good at. Use LLDesk for the compliance layer it can't cover.
LLDesk
NYC compliance as a product.
Pros
- BIN-level law detection across 19+ NYC local laws.
- Live violations from HPD, DOB, and OATH.
- LL97 exposure modeling with the city's $268/tCO₂e penalty math built in.
- Vendor marketplace for QEWIs, gas inspectors, plumbers — vetted and borough-specific.
- Document vault with expiration tracking.
- Deadline alerts before windows close.
Cons
- We don't file FOR you. We surface what's due and route you to a vendor who can.
- We're software, not your engineer or attorney.
- Coverage is NYC-only — by design.
Feature-by-feature
Side-by-side comparison.
| Feature | Spreadsheets | Consultants | General property software | LLDesk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applicable-law detection by BIN/BBL | Manual | Yes (annual review) | No | Automatic, instant |
| Live HPD / DOB / OATH violation sync | No | Manual lookup | No | Yes, via NYC open data |
| LL97 exposure modeling ($268/tCO₂e) | Manual, error-prone | Yes | No | Built in |
| LL11 / FISP cycle tracking | Calendar reminder | Yes | No | Cycle-aware, QEWI workflow |
| LL84 benchmarking deadlines | Manual | Yes | No | Tracked annually |
| Document vault with expiration alerts | Email + shared drive | Their files | Maintenance docs only | Yes, per BIN |
| Vendor dispatch (QEWI, plumber, etc.) | Phone + email | They handle | Maintenance only | Marketplace, borough-aware |
| Audit trail for board / lender review | Whatever you saved | On request | Limited | Yes, exportable |
| Cost for a 10-building portfolio | $0 + your time | $15k–$40k/yr | $3k–$10k/yr add-on | $199/mo (Pro) |
| Time to value | Hours to set up, weeks to maintain | Weeks | Days | Minutes |