The city’s “worst landlord” is now a wanted man.
Judge Jack Stoller signed a warrant Friday for the arrest of Daniel Ohebshalom, named the city’s Worst Landlord last year on the Public Advocate’s annual list, over the appalling conditions facing tenants at two buildings he owns in Washington Heights, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) announced on Monday.
Ohebshalom allegedly blew off, on repeated occasions, making court-ordered repairs to his decrepit Washington Heights buildings, 705 and 709 West 170th Street, more than a year after he was held in contempt of court, also for blowing off court-ordered repairs. Both sites sport nearly 700 open violations between them, with complaints lodged over heat, hot water, plumbing, vermin, structural integrity, and lead paint, among other things.
Per Stoller’s order, Ohebshalom, also known as Dan Shalom, is to be jailed for up to 60 days unless he immediately corrects the outstanding violations.
“I want to be crystal clear, if you create unsafe, unhealthy, and unlivable conditions, we will hold you accountable,” said HPD Commissioner Adolfo Carrión Jr. “Let this be a message to all landlords that HPD will make certain the law is enforced to protect every New Yorker from dangerous housing conditions.”
Ohebshalom was listed as the number 1 worst landlord in the entire city last year by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, owing to nearly 3,300 open HPD violations across a portfolio of 15 buildings he owns. Williams said in a statement that Ohebshalom has spent years atop the list.
“Accountability for the worst landlords in our city is the only route to changing their practices and the unlivable conditions at their buildings,” said Williams. “When tenant power is combined with the resources of the city, we can bring penalties that are more than the cost of doing business.”
Ohebshalom has faced several lawsuits from tenants over neglect of his properties, and in 2021 HPD initiated litigation against him over violations that were being neglected. By January of last year he was put under HPD’s “Alternative Enforcement Program” and ordered to correct violations within four months. HPD conducted emergency repairs for mold, leaks, and self-closing doors. For violations at the Washington Heights properties, the city has assessed Ohebshalom with more than $3 million in penalties.
Separately, Ohebshalom was hit with lawsuits over running an illegal hotel out of a Hell’s Kitchen building he owns and was assessed more than $1 million in fines. All told, he owes more than $4 million to the city.
Ohebshalom has repeatedly blown off court orders, to the point that the judge considered his defiance “striking.”
Jailing a landlord over neglecting their properties is exceedingly rare, demonstrating the scale of the conditions at Ohebshalom’s properties and his alleged neglect. Still, Williams said that Ohebshalom is “not an outlier.”
“Ohebshalom is an example, not an outlier,” said Williams. “Hopefully today’s escalation is a sign of a renewed commitment by the city to holding bad actors accountable – and a signal to the worst landlords around our city that severe negligence will lead to severe consequences.”
