Online watchlist targets problem landlords

Tenants in New York City can now avoid apartments owned by the city's worst landlords

Anyone who has ever lived in New York City knows that when it comes to "standard of living," NYC is a different world altogether. Many was the time that I thought a room sounded great on Craigslist, only to get to the apartment and realize that the "room" was actually the attic crawlspace, or the mud room in the entryway. Now New Yorkers will have a new option for steering clear of landlords known for cutting corners. The tool is called "NYC's Worst Landlords Watchlist," and the link is now available on Craigslist in the apartments category.

The watchlist comes as part of a proposal for tenants rights that NYC Public Advocate Bill de Blasio plans to present Monday, the New York Times reported. The package is meant to empower tenants and hold problem landlords responsible for any shortcuts they try to make (for example, not turning on the building's central heat in the first week of October, or letting the inside temperature of an apartment unit fall below 55 degrees). If the Bloomberg administration approves the package, it would deprive those landlords of specific taxpayer subsidies, like rental vouchers. Nor would they be able to get new leases or lease renewals from city agencies.

Currently, NYC tenants who believe their landlord is violating city heating policy can report the issue by dialing 311, but the new watchlist gives renters a new tool for avoiding landlords with repeat violations altogether. With the help of Google Maps and a searchable database, the watchlist provides the names, locations, buildings, units, and total infractions for each landlord that has been reported. Currently, the site features information on more than 400 buildings owned by 320 problem landlords.

Watchlist criteria is broken down into four categories: a Class A violation, which is a non-hazardous violation like leaks or lack of visible door numbers; a hazardous Class B violation, such as not having public doors that close on their own, or not addressing a pest problem; an immediately hazardous Class C violation, which includes inadequate heating, inadequate fire escapes, rodents, lead-based paint, and lack of electricity and gas; and then there are Class I violations, which are violations that come with an order from a judge to correct the problem. 

The list shows not only how many infractions a landlord has, but the exact types as well, such as--for example--133 Class A violations, 265 Class B violations, and 76 Class C violations. And the watchlist is ordered from worst offenders to lightest offenders. Those at the top of the list have upwards of 1,000 infractions, while most have less than 200. Visitors scanning the list also have the option of adding an additional report to a landlord's profile. 

The overall aim of the website is to raise awareness:

"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."

Tenants in already watchlisted buildings will also be able to work with the Public Advocate to have their complaints addressed.