By Gus Saltonstall
The 2024 rendition of the worst New York City landlords was released this week by the Public Advocate’s Office, and a pair of Upper West Side landlords appeared on the ranking.
In total, two of the city’s 100 worst landlords own three buildings on the Upper West Side.
This is an improvement from 2023, when the Upper West Side had six of the city’s 100 worst landlords owning seven buildings in the neighborhood.
“The Office of the Public Advocate’s Worst Landlord Watchlist is an information-sharing tool that enables 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,” reads an introduction to the annual list.
The list is determined by the number of housing violations given to a landlord between December 2023 and November 2024. Those violations can include such things as heat and water outages, rodent infestations, and deteriorating infrastructure.
Here are the two Upper West Side landlords featured on the 2024 ranking and the neighborhood buildings they own.
Jonah Bamberger: 16th worst landlord in New York City for 2024
- 2647 Broadway (between West 100th and 101st streets): 169 violations
Ivan Disla: 46th worst landlord in New York City for 2024
- 698 Amsterdam Avenue (between West 93rd and 94th streets): 139 violations
- 700 Amsterdam Avenue (between West 93rd and 94th streets): 221 violations
The 700 Amsterdam Avenue building on the corner of West 94th Street currently has a “stop work order” because of “civil penalties due,” according to the Department of Buildings. The property is currently blanketed with scaffolding and its most recent violations include failure to file inspections, failure to certify correction on something “immediately hazardous,” and more, according to the DOB’s website.
The worst landlord in New York City for 2024?
Barry Singer, who owns seven buildings on the watchlist, with a total of 1,804 open Housing Preservation Department violations among the properties.
Singer does not own any Upper West Side buildings.
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I’m curious, how does one manage to accrue this many violations without having the property seized or something?
The City simply doesn’t have enough resources to litigate every major violation, which can go on for years or even decades. And even though they may win, it would leave them with the burden or auctioning off buildings or taking over leases or God forbid, making improvements on the buildings they would now own.
I would advise going on the NYC.gov website and looking up your own buildings
Most buildings have a good number of clsd and pending violations and fines.
It should be noted that you can have a DOB violation and be fined by the city for letting your illuminated sign permit to lapse, as well as getting one for a dangerous condidtion
Good question – except the city hopes to fine them into action if there are tenants ?
Actually I went to DOB link. It’s shocking – piles of fines for dangerous scaffolding not remedied – complaints from tenants rats, garbage etc. and drug dealing shop in the deli below – that has been an issue for 30 years or more – no idea why the police don’t shut that joint down either.
700 Amsterdam is the blight of the neighborhood. I lost faith in the city simply living close by to this building and witnessing the lack of action on something that is at the source of so many issues. These landlords are criminals and their property should be seized.
I bet every single one of these buildings is rent regulated. When the amount of rent landlords can charge is artificially capped then they either don’t have the cash flow to properly maintain their buildings or they have no economic incentive to properly maintain their buildings (because no matter what they spend on maintenance they won’t be able to recover by raising rents).
These building violations NEVER occur in buildings with market rate rentals.
You can rant all you want about sleazy landlords but this is the inevitable result of NYC’s dysfunctional and corrupt rent regulation system.
Oftentimes in life you get what you pay for.
“These building violations NEVER occur in buildings with market rate rentals.”
Complete nonsense, and a dishonest rant from what is likely a real estate industry shill
They sure as heck bought them with profit in mind – get rids of tenants by making it unlivable seems to be the approach. Rent regulation and rent control is not surprise purchase
Yep exactly right – I own one building on UWS and between the enormous ever escalating real estate taxes and constant repairs required for an Old Building we have lost money every year for the last 10 years.
How much has your equity in the building increased over that time frame?
Surely the constant repairs aren’t a surprise if it’s an old building? And you’re also grousing about the bare minimum of what is required of a landlord, to keep the building they own habitable.
Correct.
Landlords either buy or inherit their holdings. one assumes.
It’s difficult to imagine anyone buying a property and not realizing that it is rent regulated.
How could that even happen?
one also assumes that landlords are aware of rules governing their relationship with tenants and as part of their business plan to have or calculate “cash flow to properly maintain their buildings”, and comply with the rules.
no sympathy here.
landlord / tennant relationships are, here, operating on a credo: do what you want, take that risk, get caught, and let courts decide, all dignity and moral values set aside.
it seems to me that it has always been like this. thanks to Trump, we got a closer look, but apparently the USA has not yet seen enough.
you get what you deserve.
Why are these conditions allowed to go on year after year with violations piling up? Bribery? Bureaucratic inertia?
Re: Otis. Newer buildings rack up different violations since the issues older buildings have don’t manifest in new ones, at least not yet. My family lives in a few new condos in Manhattan and the problems are staggering: poorly sealed windows, elevators to high floors that won’t work, hot water issues, warped flooring. The market rate buildings are built fast and for profit and it’s evident to anyone who is unlucky enough to live in them. The stigmatization of working class tenants who came to live in apartment buildings at a time when no one currently living in a market rate apartment would date to go should not be scapegoated. All tenants are fighting the same battle, dividing us only serves to benefit the landlords of this city.
No one is being scapegoated.
Otis just stated an economic reality,
These buildings should be seized and sold.
Who in their right mind would buy a NYC rent-regulated building in this day?
Almost no one – that market has collapsed and values have been cut in half 50% or more. These old buildings need constant repairs and often now they are money losing propositions.
The ideal solution is to allow these rental buildings to convert to condos or coops.
Housing Court needs to be subjected to a Knapp Commission style investigation. Difficult to imagine how landlords keep on getting away with such abuses.
How does one get a landlord on the list. My daughter lives in a building where bricks fell into her apartment when work was being done on the exterior. DOB shut it down but this was only one of a list of issues.
Jonah Bamberger is the worst kind of human and told the tenant association that he doesn’t care about our living conditions because he’s not making any money. We have been suing him for years are in the AEP program for 5 years; despite it being a 2 year program. He’s even been sued by the city and yet still we are with no working heat or hot water year round, mold, mice, rats, plumbing and electric issues.
Might be time to move out ?
Just for balance (asking here as a renter, not a landlord) is there also a list about the city’s BEST landlords? Or can we have one done about good UWS landlords? Not to be a Pollyanna, but the reality is that there are also a lot of responsive, hard-working landlords, who are managing buildings with below-market-rate rents in a very reasonable and overall good (or good-enough) way. Perhaps they can use a shout out, too!
Yes there are landlords who have really cleaned up their act on the UWS. One of them is Pablo Llorente who owns five UWS buildings, who moved to Miami during the pandemic. He was on the Village Voice’s 1998 worst landlords list and even spent time in jail. Since he moved to Miami during COVID, the new management company appointed has worked diligently to remove every single violation in the buildings. The owner of the new management company even moved his own daughter and nephew into one of Llorente’s buildings and they have spent a lot of time and money cleaning up the issues that Pablo Llorente did back in the day. Now Llorente’s buildings are very well run with an attentive property manager and an attentive super. Props to them!
all these landlords, knew what they were getting into when they purchased the building. They deserve what they’re getting back now. It is what it is and they don’t deserve to be landlords. They have to deal for what they have to deal with.
You can’t tell me these owners didn’t know what they’re getting into. I have no pity for them. I do have pity and sadness for the people who have to live in the buildings. The city should repossess the buildings and turn them into affordable housing.
Streeteasy currently shows a 3br for rent at 700 Amsterdam for $4100. So no, it’s not a rent regulated building.
Nice to see Barry Singer, who was happy to rent his rent stabilized apartment to this white girl many moons ago, still walking free after decades of infamous landlording. Any buildings white gold paint on the stonework on the upper UWS are his legacy.
Reading this makes me so angry! I live across the street from 698-700 Amsterdam Ave and have been complaining about this eyesore for more than a decade! I’ve written to The West Side Rag, The Patch, I Love The Upper West Side, Gayle Brewer & 311 and each time never received a response! I’d like to know what laws are in place to allow this landlord to treat his tenants & his property this way for more than 15 years while nothing is done! Why can’t the city do something????
While I understand the concerns about rent regulation, it’s important to recognize the positive impact these measures can have on communities. Rent regulations help maintain affordable housing options, which are crucial for low- and middle-income families who might otherwise be priced out of their neighborhoods. They promote stability and prevent displacement, allowing families to remain in their homes and maintain their local connections.
Moreover, rent regulations can lead to healthier, more diverse communities. When people can afford their rent, they are more likely to invest in their neighborhoods, support local businesses, and contribute to the overall vibrancy of the area. Instead of viewing rent regulation as a hindrance to the market, we should see it as a necessary tool to ensure equitable access to housing for everyone. Finding a balance that supports both landlords and tenants is crucial for fostering thriving communities.
Can you publish the entire list of the Worst Landlord’s in NYC?
I live in a Brusco building and the Brusco family are very good and responsive landlords that care about the community. All of them Joe, John, Nick and Paul have been nothing but supportive of the community and hire workers that are courteous, helpful and maintain their numerous UWS properties nicely.
NYCHA should be on the top of the list
Garbage and rats everywhere.
Thank you, Mayor Adams, and have a wonderful day!