Funded By

Represented by
Daniels, Norelli, Cecere & Tavel PC (Among Others)

Public subsidy programs
None

Public funding sources
None

Primary business address
59-17 Junction Boulevard 2002 11373, 97-20 57TH Avenue 11368

Richard LeFrak, the CEO of the LeFrak Organization, ranks #289 on Forbes list of the top 400 richest real estate billionaires in 2021. While others may be listed as Head Officers at times, the shareholders belong to the LeFrak family.

The LeFrak portfolio includes the LeFrak City housing development in Queens. During the pandemic, LeFrak sued 1,382 families for eviction in this housing development alone, which represents over half of all eviction lawsuits across their entire citywide portfolio.

Read more about LeFrak in the Queens Chronicle, Patch and The Real Deal.

If you live in a building owned by this Worst Evictor and want to organize, email us to get involved!

Funded By

Represented by
Gutman, Mintz, Baker, & Sonnenfeldt, P.C. (Among Others)

Public subsidy programs
None

Public funding sources

Primary business address
626 Sheepshead Bay Road 620 11224

A worst evictor in 2019, Jay Rosenfeld has a history of maintenance code violations, specifically around lead paint. Earlier in 2021, the City's department of Housing Preservation and Development fined Rosenfeld $150,000 and ordered him to fix lead-based paint violations in over 650 of his households across Brooklyn and Queens. Read more in the BK Reader.

Other than his lead paint violations and widespread use of housing court, we don't know a lot about Jay Rosenfeld because none of the members of the Coalition are organizing in buildings he owns yet.

If you live in a building owned by this Worst Evictor and want to organize, email us to get involved!

Funded By

Represented by
Tenenbaum & Shivers LP (Among Others)

Public subsidy programs

Public funding sources

Primary business address
1651 Coney Island Avenue 4 11230

Labe Twerski was ranked #13 on the Public Advocate’s Landlord Watchlist in 2019. He is known for "running sham co-ops [and] overcharging renters for decades," according to an investigation in 2019 by the New York Attorney General. You can read more about him on Housing Wire.

If you live in a building owned by this Worst Evictor and want to organize, email us to get involved!

Funded By

Represented by
Gutman, Mintz, Baker, Sonnenfeldt, P.C. (Among Others)

Public subsidy programs

Public funding sources

Primary business address
820 Elmont Road Elmont NY

Other than his widespread use of housing court, we don't know a lot about Alan Sullivan because none of the members of the Coalition are organizing in buildings he owns yet.

If you live in a building owned by this Worst Evictor and want to organize, email us to get involved!

Funded By

Represented by
Rosenblum & Bianco LLP (Among Others)

Public subsidy programs

Public funding sources

Primary business address
1044 Northern Boulevard 2FLOOR 11576

According to Progressive Management's website, they specialize in affordable housing development, often through partnerships with city agencies like the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Other than their widespread use of housing court, we don't know a lot about Robert Corso or Ilsoo Kim because none of the members of the Coalition are organizing in buildings they owns yet.

If you live in a building owned by these Worst Evictors and want to organize, email us to get involved!

Funded By

Represented by
Jason Blau esq. (Among Others)

Public subsidy programs

Public funding sources

Primary business address
5600A Broadway, Bronx

Other than his widespread use of housing court, we don't know a lot about Michael Goldberg because none of the members of the Coalition are organizing in buildings he owns yet.

If you live in a building owned by this Worst Evictor and want to organize, email us to get involved!

Funded By

Represented by
Anurag Parkash, Esq. (Among Others)

Public subsidy programs

Public funding sources

Primary business address
172-14 89TH Avenue 11432

Named by the NYC Public Advocate as the Worst Landlord in November 2015, Ved Parkash uses housing court as a vehicle to collect rent and evict tenants. If tenants want to get repairs or communicate with Parkash, they know housing court is the place to go to track down one of his sons. Parkash has a pattern of suing tenants in court cases that have no merit, which is a form of harassment. He also denies quality repairs and basic services to tenants.

In response to Parkash’s predatory behavior, Community Action for Safe Apartments (CASA) and Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC) began organizing together and started several Tenant Associations which led to the formation of the Parkash Tenant Coalition (15 buildings were represented in the coalition). In July 2016, the Tenant Coalition met face to face with Parkash and won several demands. As a result, Parkash has shifted his behavior in some buildings, but his pattern of suing tenants has not ended.

Read more about Parkash in DNA Info, in DNA info again, NY Daily News and in Norwood News.

If you live in a building owned by this Worst Evictor and want to organize, contact Community Action for Safe Apartments or the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition!

Funded By

Represented by
Gutman, Mintz, baker, Sonnenfeldt, P.C. (Among Others)

Public subsidy programs

Public funding sources

Primary business address
902 Broadway 13 10010

Phipps Houses is a non-profit affordable housing developer and landlord.

During the 2021 NYC Mayoral Race, Phipps's eviction record and placement on this list came under scrutiny. Media coverage and the organization's tax filings revealed that Weinstein makes nearly $1 million/year and NYC Mayoral candidate and former Phipps Executive Director/CEO Diana Morales stated she "absolutely agrees with advocacy groups that Phipps Houses is a bad landlord.”  Read more coverage from this time in Politico and The Real Deal.

You can read about them on the Phipps NY website, on the Spire Real Estate blog and in Crains New York.

If you live in a building owned by this Worst Evictor and want to organize, email us to get involved!

Funded By

Represented by
Karabelas & Papagianopoulos LLP (Among Others)

Public subsidy programs

Public funding sources

Primary business address
31-10 37TH Street 500 Long Island Cty, NY 11101

Alma has a history of negligent building management, including everything from a dangerous lack of maintenance on pipes producing unlivable air quality to allowing low-level staff to extort prospective tenants. They have also left tenants without working utilities or current leases, and tenants are concerned about whether Alma is following the law regarding the rent stabilized status of apartments. When Alma does make repairs, they are often ineffective or slap-dash in quality. Alma communicates poorly, typically letting tenants find out about issues and service interruptions on their own. Lastly, it appears that Alma targets certain tenants for higher rents and increased harassment.

Living in an Alma building has left many tenants without gas for months at a time and with strange and harmful odors due to shoddy repairs. Some tenants have had un-repaired leaks in their units, leaving them in unsafe conditions anytime it rains. To the tenants it looks like the super has not had the support to make the needed repairs even when he meant well. We have not gotten the legally required notices for lease renewals, and staff were inconsistent or played favorites with tenants. Alma has not been responsive to issues such as building break-ins, general cleanliness, or mail and package theft. Alma does not provide tenants with a way to contact them for various issues, generally leaving tenants to fend for themselves, or having to make multiple phone calls and in-person visits until someone responds. Lastly, Alma will sue their tenants at the drop of a hat, and many tenants have been taken to court simply due to clerical errors on the part of Alma staff.

Multiple Alma buildings have tenant unions and organizing efforts, including the Hamilton Heights Tenant Association, the Brooklyn Jewish Hospital Tenants Association, the Taaffe Tenants Association, and Surfside Housing for Tenants. Talk to your neighbors about the challenges that you are facing and how you can work together to demand solutions. If you live in a building owned by this Worst Evictor and want to organize, email us to get involved!

Alma Realty was on the Public Advocate’s Landlord Watchlist in 2016. Read more about Alma Realty in the Village Voice, Curbed, and the NY Daily News.  

Funded By

Represented by
Slochowosky & Slochowsky LLP (Among Others)

Public subsidy programs

Public funding sources

Primary business address
3441 Kingsbridge Avenue 2FLOOR 10463

According to Brownstoner, Demetrios Moragianis recently developed an 89-unit affordable housing complex in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn, earlier this year. If you live in a building owned by this Worst Evictor and want to organize, email us to get involved!

Funded By

Represented by
Buglione, Fritz, & Associates, LLC (Among Others)

Public subsidy programs

Public funding sources

Primary business address
1763 Pitman Avenue 10466

A major affordable housing developer in the Bronx, the Stagg Group is know for a "lack of repair and maintenance services" in their buildings, according to this report from Norwood News.

If you live in a building owned by this Worst Evictor and want to organize, email us to get involved!

Funded By

Represented by
Cullen & Associates (Among Others)

Public subsidy programs

Public funding sources

Primary business address
44 West 28TH Street, 6TH Floor 10001; 156 William Street 10FLOOR 10038

Former real estate lawyer, Larry Gluck, is known for de-regulating affordable housing. According to the Real Deal, "Gluck is perhaps best-known for removing Tribeca's 1,300-unit Independence Plaza from the rent-regulated Mitchell-Lama program, despite ongoing legal battles with tenants. Rents in the complex at 40 Harrison Street now top $5,000 a month, more than five times what tenants paid just a few years ago." In another large purchase, Gluck bought the Harlem Riverton Houses. In an interview with the Real Deal, Cynthia Allen, the president of the tenants’ association, said "he talked a really good game; He wanted everyone to think he was this wonderful, great guy. He wasn’t going to say, ‘Look, my plan is to get rid of 50 percent of you.' However, that’s exactly what Riverton’s financing called for."

Gluck has specialized in the past few years in de-stabilizing housing by inflating building and apartment renovation costs. According to Crains, "A review of several lawsuits against Stellar reveals how expensive or dubious renovations enabled the owner to convert rents to market-rate."

You can read more about Gluck in The Real Deal, NY Times, Pro Publica, and Crains New York.

If you live in a building owned by this Worst Evictor and want to organize, contact the Goddard Riverside Law Project.

Funded By

Represented by
Gutman, Mintz, Baker, Sonnenfeldt, P.C. (Among Others)

Public subsidy programs

Public funding sources

Primary business address
108-18 Queens Boulevard 302 11375

During recent outreach conducted by the Flatbush Tenant Coalition, tenants reported a lot of turnover in buildings, with a lot of new white tenants moving in; major repair issues, including ceiling leaks and collapsing ceilings, mold, and mice; and tenants are concerned about possible rent overcharges.  

If you live in a building owned by this Worst Evictor and want to organize, contact the Flatbush Tenant Coalition! 

Funded By

Represented by
Slochowsky & Slochowsky (Among Others)

Public subsidy programs

Public funding sources
None

Primary business address
166-07 Hillside Avenue 11432

Zara Realty is one of the largest multi-family landlords in Queens, with additional personal property in Queens, Manhattan, and Long Island. Zara’s ability to build their portfolio and amass massive personal wealth is squarely due to the mostly working-class tenant base that make up their renters. To be able to profit-hand-over-fist through finance and asset value increases, they need their renters to continue paying rent to cover both building operations and their mortgage payments. Zara tenants are mostly working class immigrant households who have been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In recent years, at least three different government agencies have taken legal action against Zara for practices of abuse and discrimination against tenants, including a lawsuit from the NY Attorney General against Zara for “[targeting] tenants in at least 38 rent-stabilized buildings by charging excessive fees, coercing them into signing improper leases, illegally raising rents, and denying tenant rights.” Additional action was taken by the NYS and NYC Divisions of Human Rights. More than 25 MCI applications are being processed for 11 different Zara buildings—including at least 5 filed during the pandemic—with potential rent increases of upwards of $135 per room per month. 

There is an active tenant coalition organizing in Zara buildings supporting by Catholic Migration Services, Chhaya CDC and Woodside on the Move.

Here is what one tenant says about their experience with Zara:

“Zara understands that MCI’s are a way to evict tenants and increase property value at the same time. My neighbors and I have organized and pushed back the last 5-6 years. We've pointed out that the landlord has lied multiple times on his application, inflated the price, and continues to harass tenants. If these applications are approved, many of my neighbors will be forced to move, including myself." - Mr. Khan, a Zara resident at 88-15 168th street for 10 years.

Read more about Zara in the Real Deal, QNS, Daily News, and Patch. 

If you live in a building owned by this Worst Evictor and want to organize, contact Catholic Migrations Services or Chhaya CDC.

Funded By

Represented by
Tenenbaum Berger & Shivers LLP (Among Others)

Public subsidy programs

Public funding sources

Primary business address
438 Kingston Avenue 11225

Popack fails to make repairs and uses truly horrendous conditions to force tenants out. He has a history of allowing hazardous conditions to persist, such as leaks, mold, pests, and lack of heat. Popack uses these awful conditions to force long time rent stabilized tenants out of the building. His latest strategy centers on using loopholes in the rent stabilization code and the housing crisis--which he contributes to--to deregulate units by renting to nonprofit service providers. Read more about Popack in the Brooklyn Eagle. If tenants live in Joseph Popack buildings and are interested in organizing to take control of their homes, reach out to HOPE, the East BK Tenants Group! 

Funded By

Represented by
Welikson & Rosen PC (Among Others)

Public subsidy programs

Public funding sources

Primary business address
4611 12TH Avenue 1L, Brooklyn, NY 11219

Bistricer owns Flatbush Gardens, formerly Vanderveer. This Worst Evictor fails to do repairs, including not adequately maintaining elevators, forcing elderly and disabled tenants to spend hours trying to go up and down stairs.  Recently tenants were locked out at Flatbush Gardens when the landlord changed the locks without sufficient notification. Tenants report that during the pandemic, when they fell behind in rent they repeatedly received rent demand letters threatening them with eviction proceedings.  This was extremely stressful for tenants, causing a lot of mental anguish where people were worried they would become homeless in the middle of the pandemic. Ironically, this Worst Evictor also owns 111 Livingston Street, the building that currently houses Brooklyn Housing Court, where Brooklyn tenants are evicted. That building is notoriously dirty and in very poor repair, posing a health hazard to anyone forced to work there or go there to defend themselves from eviction. 

Read more about this Worst Evictor in the New York Times, the NY Daily News and The Real Deal.

If you live in a building owned by this Worst Evictor and want to organize, contact the Flatbush Tenant Coalition! 

Funded By

Represented by
David L. Moss & Assoc. (Among Others)

Public subsidy programs

Public funding sources

Primary business address
5676 Riverdale Avenue 307, Bronx, NY 10471

Jonathan Weiner, the brother of Joel Weiner of The Pinnacle Group is one of the largest owners of rent stabilized housing in the Bronx. In 2013, the Chestnut Holdings Tenant Coalition organized by Community Action for Safe Apartments (CASA), Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition (NWBCC) and New York Communities for Change (NYCC), and representing more than 400 tenants from 18 Chestnut Holdings buildings, sent a letter to their landlord in February of 2013 that outlined their concerns. These included insufficient heat and hot water, unresponsive and disrespectful management, lack of quality repairs, lack of adequate security, lack of adequate extermination, lack of respect for tenants’ right to organize, and others. For tenants who struggle with all of the above, receiving rent bills marked urgent with numerous non-rent fees feels like the landlord is doing everything possible to make them move out, short of changing the locks. Tenants in this Coalition felt so abused by Chestnut Holdings widespread use of non rent fees on their bills, such as fees on appliances (air conditioner, washing machine, dryer, and dishwasher), legal fees, damage fees, Major Capital Improvement (MCI) rent increases and other miscellaneous fees, that they wrote a report about it.  

The Coalition pursued many tactics to be able to live with dignity and respect, including a march to Jonathan Weiner’s house in Riverdale.  In response, instead of addressing tenants’ concerns, Jonathan Weiner’s staff staged a counter protest outside of CASA-New Settlement Apartments’ main office.  They were invited in for coffee but declined. Tenants in Chestnut Holdings buildings today continue to organize and struggle for respect and dignity.

You can read about Jonathan Weiner and Chestnut Holdings in City Limits, Riverdale Press, The Real Deal and NY Daily News.

Funded By

Represented by
Richard Phillip Langer esq. (Among Others)

Public subsidy programs

Public funding sources

Primary business address
111 Brook Street, 2ND Floor, Scarsdale NY

Often after Finkelstein buys a building, he imposes MCI after MCI starting with gut renovating entire bathroom and kitchens that have left numerous families without working bathrooms and a kitchen to cook in for several weeks up to months at a time. The construction has subjected families to unsafe and hazardous conditions and tenants who refused the renovations, were threatened with housing court for denying access.

Here is what two Finkelstein Tenants have to say:

Juan Nunez: In 2015 at 2770 -80 Kingsbridge Terrace, Mr. Finkelstein decided it was time for our bathrooms and kitchens to be renovated, even though an entire line of apartments in my building had new kitchens installed back in 2011 due to a fire that occurred years before. But that didn’t stop Mr. Finkelstein from sending letters and harassing tenants to allow for the work to begin or face possible evictions. Once the work began it was a complete disaster. Each building had to share ONE bathroom during construction and at times only one bathroom was available for both buildings. Children with asthma were surrounded by dust due to the shoddy construction work. Once the work was complete, the bathrooms were smaller, the kitchen cabinets were falling apart and as a result more repairs were ultimately needed in order to fix the shoddy work that was done. He was granted Major Capital Improvements (MCI's) and tenants are struggling to keep up with rising rent.

A. Omar Owens:  MCI’s are permanent and cause eviction. I have seen the increasing numbers of young families fleeing in the middle of the night not wanting to face the humiliation of broad daylight evictions. Single-parent households and one income families, fixed income retirees are stretched beyond limit bearing the burden of how to make ends meet while paying close to 50% of their income to rent.

Read more on Finkelstein on the LSNYC website, in the Riverdale Press and the Village Voice.

If you live in a building owned by this Worst Evictor and want to organize, contact Community Action for Safe Apartments or the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition!

Funded By

Represented by
Allison M, Heilbraun (Among Others)

Public subsidy programs

Public funding sources

Primary business address
470 Vanderbilt Avenue 9FLOOR, Brooklyn, NY 11238

MHANY is a non-profit affordable housing developer and landlord. You can read more about them on their website and in the Daily News.  If you live in a building owned by this Worst Evictor and want to organize, email us to get involved!

Funded By

Represented by
Gold & Rosenblatt (Among Others)

Public subsidy programs

Public funding sources

Primary business address
1 Sound Shore Drive 203, Greenwich, CT 06830

The general operation practice of Morgan Group is sending tenants to court for a variety of reasons as soon as they buy the building and later, gut renovating entire bathrooms and kitchens that have left families without working bathrooms or kitchen during the time of construction and exposed to construction dust, hazardous materials, which later allows them to apply for MCI rent increases. The “renovations” usually cause other issues because similar to the repairs done, they are shoddy work done with cheap material and not done well. Tenants are often harassed for organizing in the form of housing court cases, flyers being taken down, etc.  

Tenants have been organizing tenants’ associations to challenge MCI rent increases, inconsistent and low quality repairs, and harassment to sign renewal leases with threat of eviction. 

Here is what one Morgan Group tenant had to say: 

“Everything they gave us is worse than what we had before and we have to pay more for it. The walls are thinner and more delicate, the bathroom and kitchens fall apart and are broken. Supposedly it was an expert who did all of this- from the electricity wires, new piping, etc but we’ve had electrical explosions since then. I am not happy because I am worried that they will send me to court just like they have for many people already, for not paying the MCI rent increase.”- Sandra Sanchez

If you live in a building owned by The Morgan Group in the Bronx and want to organize, call the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC) at 718-584-0515.

WAVECREST MANAGEMENT

2385 households sued for eviction

Wavecrest is the managing agent for a number of former public housing developments NYCHA moved to private landlords under the RAD (Rent Assistance Demonstration) program.

SHINDA MANAGEMENT

979 households sued for eviction

VERITAS PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

836 households sued for eviction

LANGSAM PROPERTY SERVICES

760 households sued for eviction

CENTURY MANAGEMENT

455 households sued for eviction

DOUGLAS ELLIMAN PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

455 households sued for eviction

According to our research, these management companies have a financial stake and ownership interest in a lot of the buildings within their management portfolios. Given the amount of evictions associated with them, and their reputations within the community, we are giving them a "dishonorable mention."