Craigslist to help shame worst NYC landlords

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio latest stop in his campaign against negligent New York City landlords? Craigslist. According to the New York Times, apartment searches on the listings site now turn up a link to “NYC’s worst landlords,” which leads wary home hunters to a Google Maps-powered visual of the building owners with the worst histories of building code violations. The list was first launched last year and currently has more than 400 buildings and 320 landlords. The Craigslist deal is one of eight new initiatives de Blasio is set to propose today, intended to coerce landlords into compliance. Among the proposals: preventing landlords with poor inspection records from accepting rental vouchers and from signing new leases or lease renewals with city agencies, and helping landlords access capital for quick building improvements. The Times noted that de Blasio’s mostly pro-tenant initiatives come amid speculation that he may run for mayor in 2013. [NYT]