131 East 81st Street
131 East 81st Street, between Park and Lexington Avenues · Upper East Side
BBL 1015100015 · BIN 1047559
- Year built
- 1926
- Type
- Cooperative
- Landmark status
- Not an individual landmark; not in a historic district
- NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission and City Planning records, updated February 2026
- Flip tax
- 2% of the purchase price, paid by the seller
- Doorman
- Virtual doorman
Every recorded sale at this building, 2005–2026
Bedroom-by-bedroom medians, the full transfer record, and how units trade against ask.
- 2BR median, 2023–2026
- $1.7M
- 4 qualifying sales
- Recent range
- $1.4M – $2M
- Listing discount
- 3.7%
- Recorded transfers
- 20
Own an apartment here? See what it would sell for.
A Private Pricing Opinion — what your apartment at 131 East 81st Street would likely sell for today, what it costs to sell, and what you’d walk away with — reviewed personally against condition, exposures, renovation quality, and the competition actually on the market.
131 East 81st Street puts 16 cooperative residences in an 18-story tower between Park and Lexington Avenues. Full-floor apartments account for much of its inventory, and keyed elevator access leads directly into the homes. A duplex penthouse occupies the top two floors, with terraces on both levels and a separate private roof deck.
Architecture and unit composition
The red-brick building rises above the lower street wall. Its windows follow a regular vertical pattern, with balconies and terraces interrupting the elevation at selected homes. Higher floors have multiple exposures and open city views.
The interior inventory is wider than a single repeated floor plan. Recorded apartment areas include homes around 1,350–1,800 square feet and a much larger lower-floor residence of approximately 2,890 square feet. Two-bedroom layouts recur, but the building also contains larger configurations. Floor-through homes, an expanded lower-floor apartment and the penthouse are separate categories within the co-op.
The penthouse's outdoor space is spread over several levels; the upper terraces and roof connect to a duplex interior. Elsewhere, outdoor space includes smaller balconies and Juliet balconies. An apartment's floor plan therefore determines whether its outdoor feature is a usable terrace or a smaller opening off an interior room.
Building operations
A resident superintendent, virtual doorman and video intercom provide the building's service structure. Resident storage is available, and staff handle packages. In-unit washer/dryers appear in the apartment inventory.
Ownership is through 131 East 81st Street Owners Corp., the proprietary lessor identified in New York court records. Its small number of apartments supports an elevator tower and resident staff, so those common services are shared across only 16 residences.
Policy framework
Pets: Permitted — confirm with the managing agent. Pied-à-terre ownership: Permitted — confirm with the managing agent. Subletting: Permitted subject to co-op rules — confirm with the managing agent.
Application and transaction fees
Fees below are from building management's published schedule, as of July 2026. They are shown as published, item by item; no total is added because the total depends on the transaction. Deposits are listed apart from nonrefundable charges.
- Terms
- 2% of the purchase price
- Rate
- 2% of the purchase price
- Paid by
- Seller
Source: building management's published schedule, as of July 2026
Purchase
7 items
Fees and charges
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application Fee | Paid by Buyer | When With the application | Amount $750 | Refundable Non-refundable |
| Closing Fee | Paid by Buyer | When At closing | Amount $350 | Refundable Not stated |
| Documentation FeeBank Certified Check | Paid by Buyer | When At closing | Amount $250 | Refundable Non-refundable |
| Move-In FeeBank certified check or money order | Paid by Buyer | When At closing | Amount $500 | Refundable Non-refundable |
| NY State Transfer Tax StampsPer share | Paid by Seller | When At closing | Amount $0.05 per share | Refundable Non-refundable |
| Transfer Fee | Paid by Seller | When At closing | Amount $750 | Refundable Non-refundable |
Deposits
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move-In DepositCertified check or money order | Paid by Buyer | When At closing | Amount $2,500 | Refundable Refundable |
Sublet
4 items
Fees and charges
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application Fee | Paid by Subtenant | When With the application | Amount $250 | Refundable Non-refundable |
| Move In Fee | Paid by Subtenant | When Upon approval | Amount $500 | Refundable Non-refundable |
Deposits
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move in Deposit | Paid by Subtenant | When Upon approval | Amount $2,500 | Refundable Refundable |
Sublet renewal
Fees and charges
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application Fee | Paid by Subtenant | When With the application | Amount $75 | Refundable Non-refundable |
Refinance
1 item
Fees and charges
| Item | Paid by | When | Amount | Refundable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Processing Fee | Paid by Shareholder | When With the application | Amount $250 | Refundable Non-refundable |
Management updates its schedule without a public filing. The date is when management last updated the page, not when a rule changed. Confirm the current schedule with management before you apply.
Considering an apartment here? Send Corey the listing to discuss the building's costs and purchase requirements.
Own an apartment here? Request an apartment-specific pricing review.
Building staffing and amenities
- Doorman
- Virtual doormanSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- Virtual or video entry
- YesSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- Live-in superintendent
- YesSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
- Elevator
- YesSource: NYC Department of City Planning records (PLUTO)
- Amenities noted
- StorageSource: The Roebling Team's building profile
Staffing and amenities as our building profile and recent listing records describe them. A feature not listed is not confirmed absent. Outdoor space, parking and some facilities can belong to particular apartments or to a separate owner; confirm access for the specific apartment.
Local Law 97
- 2024–2029 annual penalty
- $0 (under cap)
- 2030–2034 annual penalty
- $18,319/yr
- Per unit / month range
- $0 – $95
- Modeled exposure split equally across 16 units (the residential count on the city's lot record). Not an assessed amount; co-op shareholders are typically charged by share allocation.
Source: NYC LL84 benchmarking and PLUTO · The Roebling Research Library. City data last refreshed October 2026.
See full Local Law 97 analysis — emissions history, scenarios, methodology →Facade safety — Local Law 11
The latest available FISP filing classified the facade as Safe — no repairs were required at that inspection. A filed Safe grade is not a guarantee of current condition: owners still maintain the facade and, where required, observe parapets each year. Future inspection timing (Local Law 49 of 2025 changed the cycle framework from October 1, 2026), repair and any assessment decisions remain building-specific.
How to read this, and where it comes from
QEWI = Qualified Exterior Wall Inspector — a licensed professional engineer or registered architect who meets DOB’s FISP qualifications and signs the report (the independent expert, not the managing agent).
Penalties shown are amounts DOB assessed against filings on record across 2005–10 to 2020–25. The FISP dataset does not record whether they were paid, contested or remain open, so treat the figure as history rather than a current balance and confirm the building’s standing with the managing agent.
Source: NYC DOB facade filings (FISP) · The Roebling Research Library. City data last refreshed October 2026.
Photographs of 131 East 81st Street
Recent sales
Recent transfers at this building, from The Roebling Research Library. Prices are the transfer amounts recorded with the NYC Department of Finance; apartment-level detail is checked against the building’s own file in The Roebling Research Library before publishing.
| Date | Unit | Apartment | Price | PPSF | vs. Ask |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 23, 2026 | 9 | 2 BR · 2 BA | $1,995,000 | +0.0% | |
| Sep 16, 2026 | 4A | 2 BR · 2 BA | $1,900,000 | +2.7% | |
| Nov 4, 2025 | PH15 | 2 BR · 1.5 BA · 1,075 sf | $1,385,000 | $1,288/sf | -7.4% |
| Oct 12, 2023 | 10 | 2 BR · 2 BA · 1,350 sf | $1,565,000 | $1,159/sf | -10.6% |
| Dec 21, 2022 | PHA | 2 BR · 2.5 BA | $2,950,000 | -15.6% | |
| Mar 4, 2022 | 9 | 2 BR · 2 BA | $1,825,000 | +4.3% | |
| Oct 28, 2019 | 2A | 4 BR · 4 BA · 2,886 sf | $2,975,000 | $1,031/sf | -9.8% |
| Mar 29, 2017 | 14A | 2 BR · 1.5 BA | $1,250,000 | +2.0% |
Market read. $/sf is measured on the latest sales with reliable square footage (2025): a median $1,288/sf (recorded) across 1 sale. The building has traded as recently as 2026. Median listing discount 3.0% from the last ask — a recurring negotiation gap worth pricing into any offer or listing strategy.
The retrade record
Lines that have traded more than once in the public record — the building’s appreciation arc, apartment by apartment.
Full closing history with price-per-square-foot over time, the complete retrade record, and every line that has traded.
Sales sourced from NYC Department of Finance recorded transfers (BBL 1-01510-0015). Apartment-level facts (line, condition, asking-price context) curated and cross-verified in The Roebling Research Library. Not all transactions cross-verify with ACRIS records — sponsor and LLC purchases sometimes record at stipulated values rather than market price; square footage on co-ops is not officially recorded, figures shown are approximate.
What would your apartment rent for?
Enter your apartment and I'll send you what it would rent for, from comparable closed leases at 131 East 81st Street and nearby.
At the recent median sale of $1.9M (3 transfers in the past 24 months, since November 12, 2024), a buyer putting 25% down would pay about $33,550 to close, or 1.8% of the price.
- Mansion tax: $19,000
- No mortgage recording tax or title insurance on a co-op purchase
- Attorneys, lender, building fees and filings: $14,550
Assumes a resale (the seller pays transfer taxes), a $4,500 attorney fee and a mortgage on the rest.
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Comparable buildings
- 133 East 80th Street: A small Rosario Candela cooperative with picturesque upper stories and large apartments.
- 139 East 79th Street: A prewar cooperative with roughly one residence per floor, designed by Louis Allen Abramson.
- The Gordon: A similarly small cooperative by Rouse & Goldstone, with prewar masonry and a formal entrance.
- 157 East 81st Street: A same-block prewar cooperative with a larger apartment count and limestone base.
- 112 East 83rd Street: A red-brick prewar cooperative with classical detailing and a lower midblock profile.
More Upper East Side buildings
- 130 East 63rd Street — condop
- 130 East 75th Street — 1928 co-op by Schwartz & Gross
- 130 East 94th Street — 1923 co-op by George F. Pelham
- 131 East 93rd Street — 1923 co-op
- 132 East 72nd Street — 1925 co-op
- The Touraine (132A East 65th Street) — 2013 condominium by H. Thomas O'Hara Architects
The neighborhood
For the full corridor — architecture, transit, and pricing across Upper East Side — read The Roebling Team Guide to Upper East Side.
The full playbook — what goes in the package, how boards read your financials, the interview, and the timeline — plus sample cover, reference, and personal letters you can adapt.
How to read the facts on this page. Items attributed to an offering plan describe the building as it was offered at that filing — unit mix, square footage, the amenity program as planned. They are not a statement about how the building operates today. Tax and compliance figures are sourced separately to current City records and carry their own dates. House rules, staffing and fee policy can change by board resolution without any public filing: treat every policy line here as a starting point for diligence and confirm it with the managing agent. Where this page compares one building or neighborhood to another, that is our analysis of the recorded record — it names the measure, the period and the sample it rests on, and it is an observation about medians rather than a prediction about any particular apartment.
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646.939.7375 · c.cohen@compass.com