How we know
There is no single official "worst landlord in NYC" — multiple frameworks coexist. The NYC Public Advocate publishes an annual Worst Landlord Watchlist of approximately 100 named operators based on tenant complaints and violation density. NYC HPD operates the Alternative Enforcement Program (AEP) targeting the most-distressed individual buildings citywide. MetroDeeds publishes the Landlord Ripoff Watch — a continuously-updated leaderboard that tracks every for-profit residential operator on the public ranking (approximately 1,900 today, recomputed nightly) and assigns each one a composite distress score from 0 to 100.
The MetroDeeds distress score is a fixed-threshold normalized composite of eight signals — HPD Class C violations per unit (30%), marshal eviction executions per unit (15%), HPD Class B violations per unit (15%), Worst Landlord flag (10%), share of portfolio buildings with Class C violations (10%), heat-and-hot-water 311 complaints per building (10%), HPD Speculation Watch flag (5%), and portfolio size log-scaled (5%). Each signal is normalized against its 90th-percentile threshold across the full operator population, so a score of 100 means the operator ranks at or above the worst-performing 10% of NYC operators on every measured input.
When two or more operators tie at the score ceiling — the most-distressed cohort all sit at 99 or 100 — the public Landlord Ripoff Watch leaderboard breaks the tie by open HPD violations (descending). The top-of-list rendering on this page is pulled directly from that same leaderboard at build time, so the operator named here matches what visitors see on the live ranking. The full formula, post-normalization adjustments (Worst Landlord floor, Double Offender multiplier, vacate-order bonus, portfolio-wealth multiplier), and exclusion criteria for non-profit / regulated portfolios are documented on the methodology page.
In depth
The 10 highest-ranked operators by current distress score are listed below. Each profile pulls live HPD violation counts, marshal eviction executions, NYC DOF assessed market value, last-acquisition date, and operator-level flags from the nightly compute pipeline. Click any name for the full operator profile — including portfolio building list, recent ACRIS deeds, NYS DOS shell-cluster detail when present, and a one-page distress summary.
Important context. These rankings reflect for-profit residential rental operators only. Non-profit affordable-housing operators (LIHTC, HDFC, HUD-assisted, Mitchell-Lama), NYCHA, and co-op / condo management firms are excluded — not because they are beyond scrutiny, but because their distress scores reflect portfolio context (regulatory framework, tenant relationship, legal accountability) that is fundamentally different from market-rate landlords. The institutional-management exclusions are documented on the methodology page.
- 1.RICK GROPPERscore 9959 buildings · 48,098 open HPD violations (14,287 Class C) · $705M
- 2.MARGARET BRUNNscore 99102 buildings · 47,280 open HPD violations (12,933 Class C) · $1.1B
- 3.PETER FINEscore 9961 buildings · 46,819 open HPD violations (13,091 Class C) · $328M
- 4.DAVID TENNENBAUMscore 9978 buildings · 42,172 open HPD violations (11,867 Class C) · $217M
- 5.JOE ZITOLOscore 99182 buildings · 37,203 open HPD violations (8,669 Class C) · $341M
- 6.DONALD HASTINGSscore 9972 buildings · 31,906 open HPD violations (8,977 Class C) · $869M
- 7.ANTHONY GAZIVODAscore 9945 buildings · 31,041 open HPD violations (9,066 Class C) · $103M
- 8.PETER HUNGERFORDscore 9991 buildings · 27,374 open HPD violations (7,675 Class C) · $372M
- 9.BOB RAPHAELscore 9947 buildings · 26,023 open HPD violations (6,664 Class C) · $141M
- 10.SAM KLEINscore 9964 buildings · 24,632 open HPD violations (6,914 Class C) · $168M
Frequently asked
How is "worst landlord" defined here?
MetroDeeds defines worst landlord as the operator with the highest distress score on the Landlord Ripoff Watch — a 0–100 composite of HPD Class B and C violations per unit, marshal eviction executions per unit, regulatory flags (Worst Landlord list, HPD Speculation Watch), and 311 complaint signals. The score is calibrated against the worst-performing 10% of NYC operators citywide, not against an absolute violation threshold.
Why does MetroDeeds rank a different landlord than the Public Advocate list?
The Public Advocate publishes its Worst Landlord Watchlist annually, with approximately 100 named landlords selected by the office's own criteria. MetroDeeds ranks every for-profit residential operator on the public Landlord Ripoff Watch — approximately 1,900 today, recomputed nightly — and uses a different weighted formula. Public Advocate status is fed into the MetroDeeds score as one of eight inputs (10% weight) but does not by itself determine the ranking.
How fresh are these rankings?
The distress score is recomputed every night from the latest NYC HPD violation data, NYC OCA eviction records, and NYC DOF assessments. The leaderboard ranking on the Landlord Ripoff Watch is refreshed hourly. The named operator and statistics on this page are pulled directly from the leaderboard at build time and revalidated hourly, so refreshing the page returns up-to-date numbers.
Can a landlord dispute their distress score?
The score is algorithmic and built entirely from public records. Operators who believe their portfolio has been misattributed — for example, an old HPD registration linking them to a building they no longer own, or a legal-name vs. registered-name spelling mismatch — can email hello@metrodeeds.com to request a registry review.
Why are non-profit and NYCHA operators excluded from the top of the list?
Non-profit affordable-housing operators (LIHTC, HDFC, HUD-assisted, Mitchell-Lama), NYCHA, and co-op / condo management firms are excluded from the for-profit Landlord Ripoff Watch ranking because their distress scores reflect portfolio context — regulatory framework, tenant relationship, and legal accountability — that is fundamentally different from market-rate rental landlords. NYCHA is covered separately on the NYCHA Watch.
Related
- How do I find out who owns a property in NYC?— answer
- How do I look up HPD violations by address?— answer
- Distress Score— glossary
- HPD Violation Classes (A, B, C)— glossary
- AEP — Alternative Enforcement Program— glossary
- Landlord Ripoff Watch leaderboard↗
- Methodology — full formula↗
- NYCHA Watch — public housing↗