The 100 Worst NYC Landlords Exposed on Public Advocate Williams’ 2022 List of Violators

Edited by: TJVNews.com 

While landlord/tenant issues have always been a thorn in the side of New York City residents, each year those property owners who have the most violations are given public exposure in the hopes that they will rectify their ways and provide their tenants with the appropriate services.

Each year, the job of compiling the list of the 100 worst landlords is the task of New York City’s public advocate and this year is no different.

On Tuesday, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams released his list and the city itself appears to top the list in violations accrued in the public housing department. Williams has stated that conditions for beleaguered tenants have actually worsened.

The public advocate’s website says the list is meant to enable “tenants, public officials, advocates, and other concerned individuals to identify which residential property owners consistently flout City laws intended to protect the rights and safety of tenants.”

“It’s true that NYCHA needs more funding from the state and federal government, but it’s also true that its management failures this year and for many years before have led to a bankruptcy of tenant trust,” Williams said, according to a pix11.com report. “Taking ownership of NYCHA’s past and present failures, rather than passing the buck, is essential to improving its future and the dangerous conditions for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers paying to live there.”

NYCHA Chief Communications Officer Barbara Brancaccio expressed frustration at the housing agency being signaled out without Williams “acknowledging the $40 billion needed to address the conditions outlined in his list,” as was reported by pix11.com.

There’s also a list of the worst individual landlords. Jonathan Santana, who averaged 2,980 open violations across 15 buildings on the watchlist, took the top spot, pix11.com reported.  Williams said he has the most violations of any landlord in the history of the list. Santana has more than double the average number from the worst landlord in 2021, as was reported by pix11.com.

The landlord ranked second-worst on the list is Brian Ritter, who owns several properties across the city, including one at 80 Clarkson Ave. in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, as was reported by News12.com

Tenants of the building told News 12 that Ritter is not easy to reach. They also say their living conditions are unsanitary and many appliances inside the apartments don’t work properly, such as stoves and sinks.

The third landlord on the list is David Tennenbaum, who owns multiple buildings in the Bronx, according to the News12.com report. The list says he has an average of 1,916 violations.

The fourth landlord with the worst record is Sima Abdavies with 1,444 violations. Taking fifth place is Jacob Bistricer with 1,404 violations.  The sixth on the list is Alfred Thompson with 1,360 violations. The number seven spot goes to Scott Castellano with 1,198 violations. Number eight belongs to Craig Livingston with 1,198 violations. The number nine worst landlord is Rick Herman with 1,155 violations and the number ten spot goes to Juan Bernal with 1,004 violations.

The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development “is pursuing enforcement action against many of the properties on this list,” a spokesperson said. Pix11com reported that as the agency responsible for developing and maintaining NYC’s affordable housing stock, HPD often has to deal with confronting unsafe housing conditions.

“All New Yorkers deserve safe housing, and we will continue to use every tool in our arsenal to enforce the city’s housing maintenance code,” an HPD spokesperson said. “We appreciate the Public Advocate and all of our partners who help hold the worst actors accountable.”