54 Brooklyn Landlords Are Among NYC's 'Worst,' Says List

BROOKLYN, NY — More than half of New York City's 100 worst landlords have buildings in Brooklyn, according to an annual report by the Public Advocate's Office.

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams' office on Wednesday released its "Worst Landlords Watchlist," which uses public data on housing violations to highlight the property owners in the five boroughs who keep their buildings in the worst shape.

The list is based on the average number of open violations recorded at each building between December 2022 and November 2023, according to the city's housing department.

And in Brooklyn, 54 landlords representing 270 buildings landed on the not-so-favorable list.

David Tennenbaum took the title of Brooklyn's "worst landlord" with his buildings at 1529 Dahill Road in Bensonhurst and 260 Union Avenue in Williamsburg, according to the list.

In Bensonhurst, Tennenbaum's building racked up 216 Housing Preservation and Development violations for just 42 units. And in Williamsburg, his 8-unit building had 40.

Bed-Stuy was home to the single worst building in Brooklyn on MacDonough Street near Throop Avenue — which accrued a whopping 640 housing code violations for just 8 units.

New York City's "worst landlord" — Johnathan Santana and his boss Daniel Ohebshalom — do not own any buildings in Brooklyn, but Tennenbaum took the second spot.

The two shared a new record for average open violations in the list's history at nearly 3,300, Williams said.

See the full list here.