3 West Village Buildings Owned By NYC's 'Worst' Landlords, Says List

WEST VILLAGE, NY — Tenants of three West Village buildings have the unfortunate claim of living in properties owned by a pair of the worst 100 landlords in New York City, 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.

This year's list featured one building from last year's list and two newcomers, which meant the West Village had a net gain of one "worst" building in 2023.

Here are the three West Village addresses that were owned by landlords named among the 100 worst:

40 Grove St. (Between Bleecker and Bedford streets)

The West Village address is owned by Ivan Disla, who was ranked as the 58th worst landlord in New York City for 2023.

The 19-unit building has 77 open HPD violations, zero active DOB violations, and the city has charged the property over $15,000 in emergency work orders.

The most recent violation was in September and called for the landlord to fix a mold condition in a fifth floor apartment. In May, the same unit complained of bedbugs.

In total, Disla owns five buildings on the watchlist with an average of 587 open HPD violation, according to the watchlist.

62 Seventh Ave., (near 14th Street)

Magdalena Kosz, who ranks only as number 98 on the list of the 100 worst landlords, is listed as the head officer of this address.

Currently the 11-unit building has 42 open HPD violations and 30 DOB violations from this year alone.

The most recent HPD violation is from last June and is related to a lack of gas supply to a fourth-floor kitchen.

In total, Kosz has five buildings on the watchlist with an average of 458 open HPD violations, the watchlist shows.

49 West Eighth St. (between Sixth Avenue and MacDougal Street)

This building — also owned by Kosz — has slightly more violations than the Seventh Avenue property.

The six-unit building currently has 54 open violations, including recent ones for missing smoke detectors and for mice infestations, plus a handful of recent DOB violations.

One Buildings violation from July was deemed a Class 1, or most hazardous category of violation, where it was discovered that the second floor had been converted to contain nine illicit massage parlor rooms and was violating the stated occupancy.

Kosz was fined nearly $10,000 by the Buildings Department in total.

The new list comes just days after a Bronx building with a history of violations partially collapsed. The building's head officer is affiliated with the 50th-worst landlord on the list, according to information provided by the public advocate's office.
See the full list here.