By Gus Saltonstall
The 2025 rendition of the “Worst Landlord Watchlist” in New York City was released on Wednesday by the Public Advocate’s Office.
Among the 100 landlords deemed the worst in the five boroughs by the number of housing violations given by the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development between December 2024 and November 2025, there were five with properties on the Upper West Side.
In total, those five landlords own seven buildings in the neighborhood.
“Each hazardous violation on the Worst Landlord Watchlist, each building in disrepair, each landlord putting profit over people, represents New Yorkers suffering in their homes,” said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams, in a news release.
There was one Upper West Side landlord featured in the 2025 ranking who owns multiple buildings on the Upper West Side.
Adam Jernow: 77th worst landlord in New York City for 2025
- 15 West 75th Street (between Columbus and Central Park West): 191 violations
- 47 West 74th Street (between Columbus and Central Park West): 84 violations
- 122 West 71st Street (between Columbus and Amsterdam): 75 violations
The 15 West 75th Street building has long been a troubled property, first appearing on the Worst Landlord List in 2014. There is currently a violation for “failure to certify correction of a Class 1 Violation” on the address, according to the New York City Department of Buildings’ portal.
A Class 1 Violation is the most severe of an “Immediately Hazardous” designation given out by the DOB, which requires immediate correction by the property’s owner, or be served with a fine or stop work order.
Complaints related to the property include the elevator not operating consistently and concerns about the building’s foundation shifting, according to the DOB portal.
Here are the four other landlords featured on the most recent Worst Landlord Watchlist with properties on the Upper West Side.
David Deutsch: 42nd worst landlord in New York City for 2025
- 250 West 72nd Street (between West End and Broadway): 67 violations on this building (641 violations across all buildings)
David Manheimer: 71st worst landlord in New York City for 2025
- 209 West 107th Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam): 45 violations on this building (546 violations across all buildings)
Alex Kaskel: 88th worst landlord in New York City for 2025
- 495 Amsterdam Avenue (near the corner of West 84th Street): 29 violations on this building (490 violations across all buildings)
Chris DeAngelis: 95th worst landlord in New York City for 2025
- 964 Amsterdam Avenue (between West 107th and 108th streets): 151 violations on this building (476 violations across all buildings)
The very worst landlord of this year’s list, or the No. 1 ranked, was Margaret Brunn, who has 4,872 open HPD violations across 24 New York City buildings.
You can check out all of the buildings and landlords on the 2025 Worst Landlord Watchlist — HERE.
Subscribe to West Side Rag’s FREE email newsletter here. And you can Support the Rag here.
A mere 5%, with the worst offender at only the 42nd position?
We must do better, UWS!
The problem with the list is there’s no reason for an owner to go through the process of clearing violations that have been cured unless they are refinancing or selling.
If you see an “open violation” of no hot water at a building on W75 St from 2021 do you think there’s no hot water there today? I can all but guarantee you that there is.
I am not saying these are good landlords or that the list is useless. But it is a rather lazy effort that should have limited impact.
Are there really no penalties until the property is sold or refinanced? That’s outrageous.
There can be fines, which are liens against the property and interest can be added on until they are paid.
You tell ‘em! Landlords unite! Lazy good for nothing tenets, supplying us with nearly infinite wealth — at least on the scale of human life — they should be rounded up and put to work everyday around 9am, ending sometime around 5pm. But it could be later! Keep ‘em on their toes, ya know?
But I’m with ya. Lists man, LISTS! Ugghhgg hate ‘em. You got some good ideas Paul. Like if one of us landlords don’t provide basic necessities stipulated in the rental contract we’re legally bound to — that’s CRAZY that other people, potential good for nothing tenents, mind you, might be able to access that information and like choose to NOT enter a legally binding contract with us — like who do they think they are!?
Paul for mayor.
Or, perhaps, you didn’t fully comprehend what I wrote?
Which is that you need to know more than whether someone is included on a list that may be inaccurate. Meaning, in some cases, the really bad ones are overlooked?
Don’t take the trolls seriously.
I can think of a few more who should be on this list.
Of course, the worst of the worst is actually The City Of New York.
It’s really a shame that the City doesn’t include its own properties (NYCHA), as they would occupy most spots on the list.
Who controls NYCHA? Who controls that controller? Eventually, you will get to yourself electing bad people and not throwing them out for bad results.
It’s embarrassing to the city so they don’t include NYCHA. But the Mayor wants NYCHA taking over more properties.
I’m a former UWS landlord. This and other stories fail to recognize that “worst” landlords are in fact incompetent to the point of damaging the value of their property. Punishment won’t work. The city should force them to sell at arm’s length to a buyer with a clean record.
sell to who?
who would invest in a property that guarantees a losing ROI?
Thank you for pointing this out! Neglect hurts the entire block/neighborhood/city.
How many of these “worst landlords” are actually the public administrators that took over after the buildings were placed in receivership?
I’d be interested to know what these “loser landlords” have to say in their defense. I’m sure it woukd make for amusing reading.
De Angelis seems out of place.
this is all kabuki theater, NYCHA is the largest landlord in the city and their buildings are the worst managed and maintained of them
Given the Mamdani administration likens home ownership to white supremacy, “bad” landlords should then be celebrated, because they are decreasing home ownership which is, to this mayor, a GOOD thing, Right?
Many violations in Manhattan do not make it to the HPD or DOB list… js
Please fine these people on a daily basis until all violations corrected.
I can’t believe my ex-landlord Brian Elgot isn’t on the list!
There was once a lady on West 76th Street that posted a large poster trashing Tauber on her windows!
NYCHA is the worst slum lord!
Why haven’t these landlords been arrested?