Buchbinder & Warren
Managing agent — unlicensed in New York State
103 buildings. 225 Class C violations. No state license.
PORTFOLIO GEOGRAPHY
103 buildings.
THE PATTERN
Lower violation rate.
At 2.2 Class C violations per building, Buchbinder & Warren has one of the lower violation rates among the firms we've scored. The firm is the HPD managing agent of record for 103 buildings carrying 225 total Class C violations. A lower rate does not mean good — it means less bad, in an industry with no standard.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR BUYERS
Considering a building managed by Buchbinder & Warren?
Buchbinder & Warren's 2.2 Class C violations per building is one of the lowest rates among the firms we've scored. That is worth acknowledging. But context matters: every single one of their 103 buildings is in Manhattan. Manhattan co-ops and condos tend to have higher common charges, more professional boards, wealthier unit owners who aggressively push for maintenance, and greater access to capital for repairs. A low violation rate in an exclusively Manhattan portfolio is less impressive than the same rate would be across a mixed-borough portfolio.
Buchbinder & Warren's portfolio concentrates in the Village, Chelsea, Gramercy, and the Upper East Side — some of the most valuable residential real estate on earth. Buildings in these neighborhoods often have long-tenured boards and deep reserve funds. The firm's low violation rate likely reflects the quality of their building stock as much as the quality of their management. The real test of a managing agent is how they perform with buildings that have tighter budgets and older infrastructure — a test Buchbinder & Warren's portfolio does not face.
If you are buying into a Buchbinder & Warren building, the numbers are relatively reassuring compared to the industry. But still verify the building-specific record. Their worst building — 26 East 11 Street with 28 Class C violations — shows that even in a low-rate portfolio, individual buildings can have significant problems. Ask for the reserve fund study, the most recent capital assessment, and whether any special assessments have been levied in the past five years.
Look up your specific building in our Building Reports database.
See our guide on offering plan red flags.
Use our 10 questions checklist.
THE REGULATORY VOID
No license. No exam. No oversight.
Buchbinder & Warren is the HPD managing agent of record for 103 buildings containing 2,395 residential units — and needs no state license to do so. In Florida, a Community Association Manager must pass a state exam, carry a bond, and complete continuing education. In New York, there is no equivalent requirement.
This means there is no government body you can complain to about Buchbinder & Warren's management. No disciplinary board. No public complaint registry. No performance standards. The 225 Class C violations across their portfolio — conditions HPD classifies as immediately hazardous to life and health — trigger no regulatory consequence for the managing agent. Even a firm with relatively low violation numbers operates in a complete regulatory vacuum.
COMPARE
How does Buchbinder & Warren compare?
TOP 25 BUILDINGS
Ranked by Class C violations.
| # | Address | Borough | Class C |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 East 11 Street | Manhattan | 28 |
| 2 | 30 West 9 Street | Manhattan | 14 |
| 3 | 315 East 56 Street | Manhattan | 13 |
| 4 | 252 West 21 Street | Manhattan | 13 |
| 5 | 178 8 Avenue | Manhattan | 11 |
| 6 | 214 East 11 Street | Manhattan | 9 |
| 7 | 58 West 8 Street | Manhattan | 9 |
| 8 | 334 West 22 Street | Manhattan | 8 |
| 9 | 23 Jones Street | Manhattan | 8 |
| 10 | 28 East 11 Street | Manhattan | 7 |
| 11 | 24 West 8 Street | Manhattan | 7 |
| 12 | 51 Avenue A | Manhattan | 6 |
| 13 | 1 Sheridan Square | Manhattan | 6 |
| 14 | 220 West 20 Street | Manhattan | 6 |
| 15 | 164 Bank Street | Manhattan | 6 |
| 16 | 263 West 19 Street | Manhattan | 5 |
| 17 | 312 West 23 Street | Manhattan | 5 |
| 18 | 212 West 11 Street | Manhattan | 4 |
| 19 | 327 East 10 Street | Manhattan | 4 |
| 20 | 133 West 17 Street | Manhattan | 4 |
| 21 | 6 Jones Street | Manhattan | 3 |
| 22 | 153 West 10 Street | Manhattan | 3 |
| 23 | 244 West 20 Street | Manhattan | 3 |
| 24 | 809 Greenwich Street | Manhattan | 3 |
| 25 | 21 Gramercy Park South | Manhattan | 3 |
Source: HPD Violations (NYC Open Data). Class C = immediately hazardous.
RIGHT OF REPLY