TCO

A temporary certificate of occupancy grants lawful occupancy of a building — whole or in part — before final sign-off, when the work is safe enough to occupy but items remain open. TCOs run for short terms and must be actively renewed; the expected arc is conversion to a final certificate once the remaining items close.

New buildings routinely open under TCOs, so one is not by itself a red flag. Duration is the signal: a building living on years of serial renewals has an unresolved obstacle — open items, disputes, deferred costs — and a lapsed TCO on an occupied building is a live legal exposure, with rent-collection consequences for residential stock. The renewal chain is the record to read.