5 Upper West Side Landlords Included in Official “Worst Landlord” List

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Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams has just released the 2025 edition of the “100 Worst Landlords In NYC,” identifying property owners who “consistently flout City laws intended to protect the rights and safety of tenants.” The list includes landlords with the most open HPD violations between November 2024 and October 2025. The website, landlordwatchlist.com, also lists the buildings which got each landlord into the most hot water.

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This year, the # 1 worst landlord was Margaret Brunn, the president of A&E Real Estate Holdings, whose three-building complex on the Upper West Side was the subject of tenant protests earlier this week. Those buildings, however–120 West 97th Street, 160 West 97th Street, and 135 West 96th Street (collectively known as the Holland Apartments)–were not listed, meaning they’ve got buildings with bigger problems elsewhere.

The 2nd worst landlord, Donald Hastings, also works for A&E Real Estate Holdings.

This year, five landlords were included in part because of violations at their UWS properties. Between the five landlords, seven Upper West Side buildings were highlighted.

David Deutsch was named the 42nd worst landlord in NYC. His Upper West Side building on the list is located at 250 West 72nd Street (between Broadway and West End Avenue)–the former home of Emerald Inn, which closed late last year. The 12-unit building has 67 open HPD violations and in the last three years, the most common 311 complaints were about heat, hot water and plumbing issues. Deutsch evaded last year’s list, but was named in 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020…

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David Manheimer was named the 71st worst landlord in NYC. His Upper West Side building included on the list was 209 West 107th Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue). This 10-unit building has 45 open HPD violations (48 according to the official HPD website). Complaints were focused on heat and hot water, leaking, and garbage/recycling.

Adam Jernow was named the 77th worst landlord in NYC. Three of his UWS properties were listed: 15 West 75th Street, 47 West 74th Street, and 122 West 71st Street. These make up the majority of Jernow’s holdings, as he only has one other building in the Bronx. Between the four buildings, he has 522 open HPD violations, though it doesn’t seem like this has held him back from collecting very high rents. Jernow also appears as the direct contact on a lot of previous listings at his UWS buildings (like this one). Here’s his website. He was also included in the 2022 list.

Alex Kaskel was named the 88th worst landlord in NYC. His building at 495 Amsterdam Avenue was included. The building, located on the corner of 84th Street, has 29 open HPD violations. Most recently, apartments have gone for over $7,000 per month.

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Lastly, Chris DeAngelis earned spot # 95. His building at 964 Amsterdam Avenue (between 107th and 108th streets) was included for its 151 HPD violations (though the official HPD website only lists 68).

“Housing law protects your right as a tenant to meet with other tenants in a public space in the building. You should speak with other tenants who are facing similar problems and organize a meeting time in the building. The meeting can be advertised through fliers or posters placed in the building. At the first meeting, the representative of the association should be appointed by the group and a set of action items should be decided.”

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