“Worst landlords” List Wrongly Includes Adam Leitman Bailey

The Real Deal stopped covering the “worst landlords” watchlist years ago because the report was so unreliable.

Nothing has changed, judging from the inclusion of non-landlord Adam Leitman Bailey on the list released Wednesday.

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams tarred the high-profile real estate attorney as the “11th worst landlord” in New York City, citing 829 violations at a Brooklyn apartment building that Bailey has never owned.

“We were named a receiver for a short period of time,” the head of his eponymous law practice said in a phone interview. “We have nothing to do with the property. We’re not the owner, not the receiver, not the managing agent.”

Williams’ office had warned the lawyer on Jan. 14 that he would be named because city records listed him as managing agent for 6623 Fort Hamilton Parkway in Dyker Heights. Property records show the 28-unit, rent-stabilized building was purchased for $5.2 million in October 2021 by Mike Angelopoulos of Staten Island in 2021.

“Worst landlords” List Wrongly Includes Adam Leitman Bailey — Elizabeth Guzmán, general counsel, Office of the New York City Public Advocate

Bailey’s firm fired off a letter and an email to the public advocate’s general counsel, Elizabeth Guzmán, informing her that Bailey had been appointed as receiver for the building, which was in foreclosure, in October 2023, and was replaced at his request eight months later.

The correspondence included court documents and explained that Bailey could not get the authority he needed to properly manage the building.

The new receiver, Alan Drezin, did not register a new managing agent, so Bailey remained listed in some city records, which he only learned upon being notified about the “worst landlords” list.

Bailey’s firm followed up with more emails to Williams, whose office ignored them and published the list with Bailey’s name on it.

The public advocate’s “worst landlords” list is based on a raw count of violations recorded by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, but it routinely names people who are not landlords. Often, they are employees of buildings’ property managers.

“The public advocate does not do a lot of due diligence when choosing the worst landlords,” Bailey said. “Obviously the list has something wrong with it. Every year the list is riddled with mistakes. He rarely gets any landlords on it. He gets employees instead.”

In response to an inquiry from TRD, Williams’ office emailed, “Our data and the associated head officers/exclusions come from HPD, and the reporting period runs from November 2023 through October 2024. If ownership changed or exclusions were added after October 2024, it will be reflected in the list published next winter.”

One problem with the list is that someone who buys a building riddled with violations can be named a “worst landlord” before having a chance to clear them.

Bailey called Williams’ list irresponsible.

“The only thing that keeps us from suing him is that we’re still listed [by HPD] as managing agent,” Bailey said. “We’re in the process of getting that removed.”

The public advocate’s report shows 6623 Fort Hamilton Parkway has 827 housing violations, two building violations, and no evictions in the past two years. Over three years, callers to 311 complained about heat and hot water 116 times and about plumbing 45 times, JustFix.org shows.

One reason might be that, according to Bailey, a former owner “took an axe to the boiler and did everything he could to try to destroy the building.”

The lawyer added, “I used some of my own money to try to get the building fixed. I should win a prize for what I did for this building, not make the ‘worst landlords’ list.”