NEW YORK (PIX11) -- Nellie is showing us some of the many issues she is dealing with inside her Washington Heights apartment.
From rodent infestations to broken walls, mold, bad plumbing, and heating problems the list goes on; a snapshot of the 700 violations racked up by the owner of 705 and 709 West 170th Street.
“They’re really just doing the bare minimum,” said Nellie.
The buildings are owned by Daniel Ohebshalom, he is on the City Public Advocate’s “Worst Landlord” for the second year running.
After flying from his home in California Friday to answer an arrest warrant, he turned himself in to the authorities.
He is now sitting in Rikers Jail for the start of what could be a 60-day sentence for failing to address those violations.
“We are really happy because I think that we are setting an example moving forward. And this is gonna send a message to other landlords that do the same thing,” said Nellie.
The City Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Adolfo Carrion, Jr. says the city’s tough approach, leading to jail time is designed as both a deterrent - and a pressure point for bad actor landlords.
“The clock is ticking now for him, and he has to do the work in these buildings. Every day that he corrects the situation in those buildings is a shorter time for him being jailed. "If we get to the end of the 60 days, and he has not done the work, or some of the work, we are going to go back to the judge and ask for an extension of his jail time,” said Commissioner Carrion.
Ohebshalom’s filed a notice of motion early Friday morning to vacate his arrest warrant. Calls to the landlord’s attorney were not returned in time for this report.
City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams takes issue with Ohebshalom has so far been able to partly conceal his identity.
“We have never been able to see his face. We do not know what he looks like. Because we have seen a lot of folks who look different get paraded in front of cameras when they get arrested,” said Williams.
William Lenis, who has lived in this building for more than four decades says Ohebshalom got off easy.
“That is not enough. We suffer here for over ten years,” said Lenis.
The city already levied some $3 million in fines against Ohebshalom last year for violations at another property.
For what is happening here in Washington Heights he is sitting in jail while the city waits to see if his contractors take care of this punch list of 700 violations.
Ohebshalom’s lawyers are due back in court on April 15th.
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