Public Advocate Identifies 100 Worst Landlords for 2016

Public Advocate Letitia James recently released the annual list of the 100 worst landlords in New York City. The list compiles the landlords who have accrued the most violations relative to the total buildings they own. The information is available here and utilizes data from the DOB and HPD.

The watchlist was created in 2010 by current Mayor Bill de Blasio while he was the city’s Public Advocate. Changes to the list this year include the fact that it relied on DOB violations as opposed to complaints. Only multifamily rental buildings are part of this list, and buildings with fewer than three apartments are not selected.

"Every New Yorker deserves a safe and decent place to live, and every apartment must meet basic standards of decency," James said in a statement. "The Landlord Watchlist has become a critical tool for helping tenants organize against unscrupulous landlords, has assisted with the criminal convictions of some of New York’s worst landlords, and has led to better living conditions for countless New Yorkers. We will never stop fighting for the housing rights of every New Yorker."