The Public Advocate has launched a campaign to identify, track, and hold accountable New York City's most irresponsible landlords.
Too many of our city's tenants find themselves living in deteriorating and unsafe apartments. Landlords are required by law to fix violations to the housing code, but in some cases, an irresponsible property owner will allow problems to persist for years before attending to them. In order to raise public awareness and encourage landlords to more quickly address widespread safety problems in their buildings, the Public Advocate has launched the NYC's Worst Landlords Watch List.
Using both a searchable database and Google Maps, the Watch List allows users to view a current or potential landlord's outstanding housing code violations identified by the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). Through this website and campaign, our goal is to facilitate an efficient and timely response to landlord misconduct.
The Watch List also enables tenants and housing activists to report new violations to the Public Advocate's Office. If that landlord has a sufficient number of additional outstanding violations , they will be added to the Watch List. Landlords will automatically be removed from the Watch List when their violations have been resolved with HPD.
The Public Advocate will work with tenants in Watch List buildings to take appropriate action to have their complaints addressed. For assistance contacting local tenant activist organizations, accessing City and State housing agencies, or applying for a rent abatement, visit our Tenant and Landlord Resources section.