NYC's 'Worst Landlords' list is out: Meet the record-setting top offender
Residential apartment buildings in the Ridgewood neighborhood in the Brooklyn borough of New York, US, on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023. A strong economy helped mint an additional 17,500 millionaire households in New York between 2020 and 2022, according t
NEW YORK - In what has become an annual tradition, albeit not a particularly happy one, NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams has unveiled the grim roster of New York City's 100 Worst Landlords for 2023.
The annual list ranks the city's worst landlords based on average open violations at properties they own.
The Public Advocate's Office says that landlords are ranked according to objective criteria based on the average number of open housing code violations issued to their buildings by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD).
This year, Johnathan Santana, the designated head officer for owner Daniel Ohebshalom, has taken the top spot. With 15 buildings under their control on the public advocate's watchlist, the pair have racked up an average of 3,293 open violations.
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"The most in the list's history," Williams said.
This is the second straight year Santana and Ohebshalom have led the list.
"Johnathan Santana and Daniel Ohebshalom may be shameless in their negligence and predatory practices, as is clear in their record violations, but it’s clear that spotlighting and shaming them and other worst landlords in the city can have meaningful impact," said Williams in releasing the list. "Through tenant organizing, legal battles, and legislative initiatives, we can hold bad actors to account and deliver relief for New Yorkers facing unlivable conditions and declining unaffordable rents."
Over a dozen landlords with properties across the city averaged over 1,000 open violations in their buildings on the list.
To learn about whether your landlord is featured on the list, how to report violations and access resources for tenants to organize and seek relief, visit LandlordWatchlist.com or use the Public Advocate's Office's Text Line, 833-933-1692.