2 Upper East Side Buildings Make 'Worst Landlord Watchlist'

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — New Yorkers struggling to cope with the coronavirus pandemic have also had to contend with mistreatment by their landlords, and an annual report by the city's Public Advocate names two Upper East Side buildings as some of the worst-run in the city.

The two buildings, 1080 Park Ave. and 1585 Third Ave., made the list based on the average number of open violations they had on file this year with the city's Housing Preservation and Development Department.

The Park Avenue building, a five-story structure on the corner of East 88th Street, had an average of 147 open violations between December 2019 and this November. Open complaints in the 10-apartment building included mold, lead paint and defective faucets.

The Third Avenue building, which is four stories tall and sits on the corner of East 89th Street, had an average of 52 open violations since last year. Open complaints in those six apartments included a lack of carbon monoxide detectors and an inaccessible fire escape.

In an online news conference last Tuesday, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said the pandemic had exacerbated already-dire housing conditions.

Tenants, if your landlord is on today's #WorstLandlordsNYC Watchlist—it’s time to organize.

Together, we will keep holding the Mayor, NYCHA, and everyone on the list accountable through legislation and organization. We can and will fight back.

Visit: https://t.co/AE4fs4OB1p pic.twitter.com/opq5CO5xbi
— Office of the Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams (@nycpa) December 15, 2020

"When we overlay communities that were hit hardest by COVID, those are the same communities that have some of the worst landlords and folks who are living in some of the worst conditions," Williams said.

The ranking uses HPD data on the two most severe classes of violations, which can include rodent infestations, lead-based paint, failure to provide public doors and lighting or a lack of heat, hot water, electricity or gas.

Meanwhile, the New York City Housing Authority — with more than 341,000 open work orders across 326 developments — was given its own designation as worst landlord for the third year in a row.

"We have endured systemic neglect before this health crisis and we are still fending for ourselves when it comes to trying to survive while living in NYCHA," said Saundrea Coleman, a resident of the Isaacs Houses on the Upper East Side, who said she deals with excessive heat, faulty elevators and a rat infestation on the houses' grounds.

The owners listed for the two Upper East Side buildings could not be reached for comment.

See the Public Advocate's full report, including a map of buildings, here.

Anna Quinn contributed to this report.