“Worst Landlord” ordered to Rikers — again

“Worst Landlord” Daniel Ohebshalom is having a bad year.

A New York City housing judge signed an arrest warrant on Tuesday for the landlord to spend 60 days at Rikers over his failure to cure chronic problems in his NYC apartment rentals, the New York Times reported.  

But the judge threw him a life raft: If he fixes the problems before his term ends, he can be released early.

Ohebshalom has been in and out of court since at least 2022 over claims from the Department of Housing of failing to maintain rental properties and ignoring court orders to remedy problems ranging from leaks, cockroach infestations, and mold to unreliable heat and hot water and peeling lead paint.

This is his second arrest order this year. The city said in a March press release it has brought more than 10 motions against the landlord in the past year alone resulting in civil penalties of more than $4 million.

Ohebshalom owns numerous apartments throughout the city. The properties involved in this latest arrest warrant are related to 705 and 709 170th Street in Manhattan, where the city said there have been 700 violations. 

The landlord was previously sentenced to Rikers over conditions at two Washington Heights buildings, which had landed him on the Public Advocate’s Worst Landlords Watchlist in 2022. Ohebshalom turned himself in to authorities in March for the warrant. 

The landlord claims in court papers reported by the outlet that he has fixed some of the violations, but claimed in other instances he could not access the apartments.

Ohebshalom’s lawyer Vladimir Mironekok, who appeared in court without his client, said putting the landlord in jail “will not make the repairs go faster.”

 — Christina Previte

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