Landlord Under Fire for Poor Conditions at Hell’s Kitchen Properties
Notorious landlord Steve Croman is being called out by a local lawmaker for the state of three apartment buildings on Tenth Avenue. in particular—722 10th Avenue, 358 W. 51 St., and 345 W. 53rd St.
| 07 Jul 2026 | 12:29
A notorious landlord is facing flak from a local lawmaker over the conditions at his Hell’s Kitchen properties, including 358 W. 51 St. (left) and 345 W. 53rd St. (right) (
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A third building, 722 10th Avenue, has apparent violations ranging from a lack of “safe fire and safety egress” to sprinkler and alarm issues. (
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A landlord is facing scathing calls for legal action due to poor maintenance of buildings in his portfolio, namely a few in the Hell’s Kitchen area.
Steve Croman, who was convicted of tax fraud and fraudulently refinancing loans back in 2017, has also maintained a longstanding and notorious reputation for harassing tenants.
As first reported by the blog W42nd St., such behavior is reportedly not a thing of the past, with Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal emphasizing in a statement to the outlet that “Steve Croman’s horrific real estate reign must be met by the full force of law.”
There are 13 buildings in Croman’s portfolio strewn throughout the neighborhood, with Rosenthal’s office focused on a few in particular: 358 W. 51st St., 722 10th Ave., and 345 W. 53rd St.
DOB records confirm that the trio of properties have faced occasionally overlapping building code violations under Croman’s ownership, with both 358 W. 51 St. and 345 W. 53rd St. being penalized for “electrical, plumbing, and construction work without permits.”
Building management also installed a boiler without a permit and failed to repair a broken facade at the W. 51st St. property, which currently has a partial stop work order on it due to a “failure to certify [a] correction of Class 1 violation,” according to public records. A Class 1 violation is the most severe violation under the city’s building code.
Due to these violations, the W. 51st St. property has racked up $76,000 in fines, while the W. 53rd St. property has racked up $21,000.
The 10th Avenue building, which is also under a partial stop work order due to uncorrected Class 1 violations, has been hit with a variety of remarkable violations by building inspectors. These include issues with fire and safety egress, sprinkler and alarm issues, and what Rosenthal’s office has said is the illegal conversion of apartment units.
During a visit to 722 10th Avenue by Chelsea News, one tenant—who preferred to remain anonymous—appeared to corroborate these disturbing conditions.
“It’s horrible. It’s just one battle after another,” they said. “They have several tenants that don’t have a stove or an oven...just a hot plate.”
Moreover, the frustrated tenant said that many apartments had been sitting empty for quite some time. Building managers were recycled “every few months,” they added, preventing a meaningful connection between tenants and their landlord. To top it off, “mouse infestations” are reportedly plaguing the halls.
The tenant also lent weight to the finding by Rosenthal’s office about “illegal conversion,” telling Chelsea News, claiming that management had turned at least one rental unit into an AirBnB.
New York City’s short-term rental laws, which generally ban renting out an apartment for less than 30 days, note that short a short stay arrangement is “only permitted if you are staying in the same unit or apartment as your guests.”
According to recent legal proceedings, Steve Croman’s primary residence is still a pricey townhouse on the Upper East Side that he is attempting to halt foreclosure on.