What NYC's Worst Landlord List Means for Renters

Every year the NYC Public Advocate publishes a list of the city's worst landlords — building owners with the most serious unresolved HPD violations and a pattern of neglecting their tenants. Here is what the list means, how to use it, and how to research any building's violation history before you sign.

What Is the Worst Landlords Watchlist?

The NYC Public Advocate's Worst Landlords Watchlist (pubadvocate.nyc.gov/worst-landlords) is an annual ranking of building owners based on the number and severity of open HPD violations per unit across their portfolio. It was created to publicly shame chronic offenders and pressure them to address conditions in their buildings.

The list is not just a single building — it reflects the entire portfolio of an owner or management company. A landlord who owns dozens of buildings with hundreds of violations across all of them will rank highly even if any single building looks manageable in isolation.

How Buildings and Landlords Get on the List

The ranking formula weighs:

Number of open violations per residential unit: The primary metric — violations scaled to building size
Class C (immediately hazardous) violations: Weighted more heavily than Class A or B
Length of time violations remain open: Chronic unresolved violations score worse than recently issued ones
History of repeat violations: Landlords who fix violations only to have the same issues recur
Portfolio-wide patterns: A landlord who neglects multiple buildings simultaneously

Landlords on the list are often contacted by the Public Advocate's office and given an opportunity to respond. Some dispute the data; others commit to remediation plans. The list is updated annually, typically in the fall.

What It Means If Your Building's Owner Is on the List

If you discover that your current or prospective landlord appears on the Worst Landlords Watchlist, take it seriously. It means:

The landlord has a documented, citywide pattern of neglecting building conditions
Multiple buildings under their control have serious unresolved violations
HPD has cited these conditions formally — this is not just tenant complaints
The Public Advocate's office has reviewed and included them based on objective HPD data

A landlord on the Worst Landlords Watchlist is not just having a bad season — they are a chronic offender. This is a serious red flag for any prospective tenant.

How to Check Any Building on RenterBuzz

You do not need to know whether a landlord is on the Worst Landlords Watchlist to evaluate a building's condition. RenterBuzz displays the same underlying HPD violation data — organized, searchable, and displayed on every building page — including:

All open violations by class (A, B, and C) with issue dates
311 complaint history across 10 categories going back two years
The registered building owner name
Real renter reviews rating landlord and management, cleanliness, safety, and more

Even if a landlord is not on the Worst Landlords list, RenterBuzz can reveal patterns that suggest the same problems — many Class C violations, recurring heat complaints every winter, or consistently low management ratings from reviewers.

Red Flags to Watch For in Violation Data

✓5+ Class C violations open simultaneously — especially heat, rodents, or structural issues
✓The same type of violation issued year after year (chronic pattern)
✓100+ heat/hot water complaints on the 311 panel in a single year
✓Violation issue dates cluster in winter months (heat problems)
✓Multiple water damage violations suggesting a building-wide infrastructure problem
✓Violations issued with no correction date — the landlord has simply not responded
✓Building owner name appears on multiple properties with similar violation patterns

What to Do If You Are Already Living in a Neglected Building

If your building has serious violation issues and your landlord is unresponsive, you have options:

File 311 complaints for every condition — each one adds to the public record
File an HP Action in Housing Court to compel repairs
Contact the Public Advocate's office if conditions are severe enough to qualify for the watchlist
Organize with other tenants — collective action is more effective than individual complaints
Contact Met Council on Housing: metcouncilonhousing.org · 212-979-0611

And when you eventually move out — write an honest review on RenterBuzz. Future renters deserve the same information you wish you had before you signed.

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