NYC's 'Worst Landlords' list released

A building located at 620 East 178th St. and owned by Singer is on the watchlist. The building has more than 700 housing code violations.

Heather Fordham

Jan 22, 2025, 11:10 PM

Updated 3 hr ago

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A Bronx landlord has been named as the "worst in the city."
Barry Singer topped the list of 100 landlords named the worst in the city by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.
Singer owns 199 buildings citywide, with an average of 1,804 open housing code violations, according to the list.
The top 100 landlords are determined by widespread and repeated violations, including heat and hot water issues, bug and rodent infestations and infrastructure problems.
A building located at 620 East 178th St. and owned by Singer is on the watchlist. The building has more than 700 housing code violations.
Tenants invited News 12 cameras inside their apartments where we observed multiple unsanitary conditions, including mold and urine in the entryway of the building. Broken mailboxes, floor tiles, chipped paint and grime were found throughout tenants' units.
“While the worst landlords in the city raise the rents instead of the temperature, tenants are being left in the cold,” said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams in releasing the list. “The people on this list are at best dangerously negligent, and at worst, actively choosing to profit off the pain of New Yorkers living in unsafe, deplorable conditions. Last year’s worst landlord has been to jail twice since the list was published, a clear message to owners of what their tenants deserve, and the consequences of their inaction. This list is a way to turn up the heat on bad actors so that we can get real accountability and change.”
The top five landlords on this year’s list are:
  • Barry Singer, with an average of 1,804 HPD open violations
  • Alfred Thomas, with an average of 1,285 HPD open violations
  • Karen Geer, with an average of 1,193 HPD open violations
  • Melanie Martin, with an average of 1,132 HPD open violations
  • Claudette Henry, with an average of 1,130 HPD open violations