Local Landlords On Updated List Of City’s Worst
A total of 330 landlords and 360 buildings-including 15 in Queens and over 30 in Bushwick alone-are now on Public Advocate Bill de Blasio’s updated list of New York City’s Worst Landlords, it was announced on Monday, July 9.
“It takes years of neglect for a building to deteriorate to the point where it ends up on our Watch List. But with enough public pressure and strong tenant organizing, we can turn these buildings around and make life better for thousands of New Yorkers,” said de Blasio in a Monday press release.
The new worst landlord in the city, according to the public advocate, is College Management in the Bronx, which owns three buildings on the Watch List at 1259, 1265 and 1269 College Ave. in the Bronx that have a combined 724 housing code violations.
Tenants in the buildings are working with three nonprofits-Community Action for Safe Apartments-New Settlement Apartments, Bronx Legal Services and New York Lawyers for the Public Interest-to secure a court-appointed “7A Administrator” who will oversee necessary repairs of the building.
All entries on the Watch List have a minimum of two hazardous Housing Code violations per unit, such as lack of heat or hot water, lead paint, toxic mold or broken plumbing. The Public Advocate launched the Worst Landlords Watch List in 2010 to shine a spotlight on landlords whose buildings have fallen into a state of disrepair.
The online Watch List, available at www.landlordwatchlist.com, has been viewed more than 400,000 times since its launch, and is featured on Craigslist.org to help those seeking apartments.
A total of 255 buildings have been removed from the list because issues such as lead paint, infestations and mold have been addressed, de Blasio noted.
The three current worst landlords by number of cumulative violations on the Watch List are:
– College Management, with 724 hazardous violations in three Watch List buildings;
– Maristanc Corp., with 651 hazardous violations in one Watch List building; and
– 1071 Home Corp., with 649 hazardous violations in four Watch List buildings.
The buildings with the most violations in Queens are:
– 107-04 150th St. in Jamaica, operated by Allen Affordable HDFC. The 13-unit building has a total of 210 infractions, according to the list, including 35 since July 1, 2011.
Allen Affordable HDFC also operates another site on the list: a 12- unit site at 89-06 138th St. in Jamaica which has 72 violations, placing it ninth on the list.
– 18-21 Cornelia St. in Ridge- wood, operated by Roseman Beerman & Beerman LLP. The six-unit site has a total of 102 infractions.
– 307 Beach 70th St. in Far Rockaway,. The site lists Gowrie Seegulam as the four-unit site’s head officer, and states that it has had 92 violations.
– 106-19 177th St. in Jamaica, a four-unit building reportedly operated by Diana Alleyne that has 91 violations issued.
– 555 Fairview Ave. in Ridgewood. The site lists Antonio Rapisarda as the four-unit site’s head officer, and states that it has 84 violations listed.
In addition to the two previously mentioned locations, five other sites in Ridgewood made the list: 18-79 Troutman St. (78 violations), 17-25 Harman St. (72 violations), 18-85 Woodbine St. (54 violations), 54-33 Metropolitan Ave. (38 violations), and 10-48 Wyckoff Ave. (31 violations).
Meanwhile, in Bushwick alone, more buildings are on the watchlist than are listed throughout the entire borough of Queens.
The five most penalized residences in the neighborhood were:
– 300 Grove St., operated by Quality Management Realty, which has 426 violations listed, including four since Dec. 13, 2011, in the sixunit building;
– 1328 Halsey St., a six-unit site operated by Halsey Estate that lists 202 violations, including 12 since Dec. 13, 2011;
– 53 Troutman St., which according to the website is operated by Takisha Sturdivant, with 162 violations at the three-unit site, including 49 since Apr. 5, 2011;
– 224 Schaefer St., operated by A&S Tower Corp., a six-unit building that has 151 violations listed including 48 since Dec. 13, 2011; and
– 399 Bleecker St., operated by Bleeker Realty LLC, which lists 138 violations in its six-unit building.
