Repeat offender tops New York City's 'Worst Landlord Watchlist' with nearly 3,300 violations
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- The New York City public advocate released his annual "Worst Landlord Watchlist," which according to him, is the same landlord as last year, with the highest number of violations in city history at nearly 3,300.
"They should haul his (expletive) into jail for how he's made these folks live," said New York State Assemblyman Tony Simone on Wednesday.
Trash infested stairwells, crumbling walls and ceilings populate the first few floors of an apartment building on West 46th Street. It's in such bad shape that it sits vacant and sometimes attracts squatters.
Tenant John Reeds has had to walk past these conditions to get to his neglected apartment on the higher floors.
"We have suffered continued abuses, some of which were both health and life threatening," he said.
It's no surprise to him that his landlord has been named the worst in the city.
"He's neglected buildings and has profited off of tenants for years," New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said. "Santana and Ohebshalom have an average of 3,293 open HPD violations."
Daniel Ohebshalom and his associate Johnathan Santana are at the top of the public advocate's worst landlord list for the second straight year.
David Tennenbaum and Sima Abdvaie are in the top five for a second straight year. Larry Hirchfield and Alfred Thompson are new to the top five.
"Even for us, how difficult it is to wait on the corporation, the corporation and the representative of a representative to find out who the true owner is," Williams said.
Obhebshalom has 15 buildings on the city's watch list, and they are operated by eight different, hard-to-track-down LLCs, which state legislators are trying to address.
A bill called the Limited Liability Corporation Transparency Act, would help tenants and city agencies better identify the landlords who hide behind anonymous aliases.
But Ohebshalom and Santana no longer have control of this building and can no longer collect rent. That's because the tenants fought back and they're winning.
It took a few years, but tenants organized and filed what's called a 7A Administrator application with House Preservation and Development, who is court-appointed to collect rent and repair.
"An administrator has been appointed to operate the building and make vital repairs," Williams said. "This is a major victory for tenants who can see their homes restored."
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