Is my building an illegal conversion? (B9 Two family building 5 families living here)

Hi everyone,

According to the Property Information Portal, my building is classified as B9 (two-family), but there are actually five families living inside. The landlord’s family occupies the first floor, and the remaining two floors each house two sometimes three families. The neighboring buildings of the same design are classified as C0 (three-family), so I’m not sure if my building was listed incorrectly.

I’m concerned because:

• My building does not have a Certificate of Occupancy for its current configuration.
• My next-door neighbors in the C0 building were actually evicted many years ago without notice from the illegal conversions.
• Inspectors have been active in a building next door, checking for overcrowding and illegal short-term rentals. But the inspectors were there only because the building owners broke a few work site laws.
• My landlord used unlicensed contractors to make big changes to the layout
• Years ago, a census taker was surprised by the number of families living in the building.

I’m not sure what to do next. How strictly are building codes enforced in situations like this? In the cases I mentioned, enforcement seemed to happen because of unsafe living conditions or a crackdown on Airbnb/short-term rentals. My apartment seems safe, but I’m wondering, should I move out asap or proactively ask an inspector to clear my apartment?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

TLDR: Five families live inside a two-family house. No Certificate of Occupancy, landlord uses unlicensed contractors, and nearby buildings have been inspected/tenants evicted. My apartment seems safe. Worried about enforcement—should I move out, document things, or proactively involve inspectors?