Bedford-Stuyvesant

Most of the buildings owned by city’s worst landlords are in Brooklyn

December 16, 2019 Ned Berke, David Brand and Jonathan Sperling
Megan Adams, in apartment 4E, complains of lack of heat, mold and mice in her apartment. Photo: Paul Frangipane/Brooklyn Eagle
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More than half of the properties owned by New York City’s 10 worst landlords are in Brooklyn, according to a new list published Monday by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.

Of the 85 properties owned by the 10 worst landlords on the public advocate’s list, 44 are in Brooklyn — accumulating a staggering 5,921 violations from the Department of Housing Preservation & Development, or more than four violations per unit owned. Citywide, the public advocate documented 11,830 HPD violations across all the properties owned by the 10 landlords.

The annual list of worst landlords continues a tradition of shaming problematic property owners and building managers first started by then-Public Advocate Bill de Blasio in 2010; Williams’ predecessor, Letitia James, kept it going.

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Borough# of buildings# of UnitsHPD ViolationsDOB ViolationsEvictions
Bronx1526814611053
Brooklyn441357592110914
Manhattan205513290632
Queens49735930
Staten Island2112799212
Grand Total8523851183030121

Of the 44 buildings in Brooklyn, nearly half are in zip codes 11221 (Bedford-Stuyvesant, Bushwick) and 11226 (Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Flatbush).

Property owner Jason Korn — who owns 15 buildings citywide, with 2,877 HPD violations — earned the dishonor of being ranked the city’s worst individual slumlord, according to Williams’ list. Korn, last year’s ninth worst landlord, owns buildings in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Flatbush, Midwood and elsewhere.

During a tour of Korn’s property at 250 East 29th St. in Brooklyn Monday, resident Megan Adams, 65, said she’s been living under horrendous conditions for about 16 years. In January her bathroom ceiling collapsed from water damage and the heat is frequently shut off, she said.

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams stood with tenants of 250 E 29th St. in Brooklyn on his tour of the worst landlords in the city. Photo: Paul Frangipane/Brooklyn Eagle
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams stood with tenants of 250 E 29th St. in Brooklyn on his tour of the worst landlords in the city. Photo: Paul Frangipane/Brooklyn Eagle

“When you call they office they say, ‘Oh, we’re going to try to do our best,’ like we are begging them,” she said.

The building has 337 HPD violations, according to Williams’ list.

Adams said she frequently finds mice droppings, and one rodent recently crawled on her as she napped.

“It’s like we are nobody in here,” she said.

Korn did not respond to a phone call seeking comment on his continued inclusion on the list of New York City slumlords.

“The fact of the matter is, in exchange for rent … you have to have a unit that is safe for human beings to live in. Jason Korn has not provided that and so that’s what this is about, doing the best we can to shame the landlord into doing the work they’re supposed to be doing,” Williams said.

Eric Silverstein, number three on the list, owns four buildings on the public advocate’s watchlist. Combined, those buildings — including a property on 59th Street in Woodside in Queens — account for 1,144 HPD violations and 24 DOB violations. Silverstein was ranked New York City’s worst private landlord last year. He did not respond to a phone call seeking comment.

The other eight people among the top 10 worst landlords include Nathaniel Montgomery (22 buildings, 1581 HPD violations), Abdul Khan (nine buildings, 1135 HPD violations), Christopher DeAngelis (13 buildings, 978 HPD violations), Richard Nussbaum (two buildings, 883 HPD violations), Joseph Soleimani (13 buildings, 859 HPD violations), Nathan Silverstein (four buildings, 833 violations), William Lucas (two buildings, 829 violations) and Michael Lazaroff (2 buildings, 799 violations).

Landlord# of buildings# of UnitsHPD Violations DOB ViolationsEvictions
Abdul Khan918911351043
Chris DeAngelis13172978183
Eric Silverstein43151144240
Jason Korn157032877438
Joseph Soleimani13170859150
Michael Lazaroff2112799212
Nathan Silverstein4152837110
Nathaniel Montgomery212041489264
Richard Nussbaum2116883231
William Lucas2252829160
Grand Total8523851183030121

HPD violations are issued when a landlord fails to provide some of the most basic services, including heat and hot water, or maintaining a lead-free environment. Many of the neighborhoods in which these landlords’ properties are clustered also had the most heat complaints in the borough, according to a previous Brooklyn Eagle analysis.

The public advocate’s Landlord Watchlist identifies the 100 worst landlords in the city, and the 10 worst properties in each borough.

Properties are only included on the list if they are privately-owned, multi-family rental buildings with three units or more. They must also have received a minimum number of HPD violations.

The public advocate’s watchlist isn’t searchable; the Brooklyn Eagle extracted the top 10 landlords and their properties in order to analyze the data by borough and zip code. A searchable list can be found at the end of this article.

Zip Code# of Buildings# of UnitsHPD ViolationsDOB ViolationsEvictions
1120655242573
1120752917520
1121029733260
1121353851421205
11216141000
112181216722
112219113769170
1122517633482
1122693891468310
112303173740141
1123321012001
11237186020

Many of the problem landlords, like DeAngelis and Matt Levi (number 14 this year, number 11 in 2018) own or manage properties along the rapidly gentrifying Ridgewood-Bushwick border — a trend also evident in the 2018 Worst Landlord List. Neither responded to phone calls seeking comment.

Williams said several of the landlords attempted to obscure ownership to avoid appearing on the list by self-certifying repairs, or transferring ownership to different individuals. He said his office would seek to allow the city to impose penalties for such tactics, but he’s hoping for even harsher penalties.

“Ultimately what I believe needs to happen to these landlords, they have to lose their buildings,” Williams said Monday. “You shouldn’t be allowed to own buildings if this is happening, you should not be allowed to do business with the city and some of them should be in jail. These are criminal acts; they are putting human beings’ lives in danger.”

Tenants of 250 E 29th St. gathered in the building lobby to demand their landlord, Jason Korn, address their complaints. Photo: Paul Frangipane/Brooklyn Eagle
Tenants of 250 E 29th St. gathered in the building lobby to demand their landlord, Jason Korn, address their complaints. Photo: Paul Frangipane/Brooklyn Eagle

Like Levi, many of the landlords on Williams’ list are repeat offenders, having appeared on past public advocate lists. Their continued inclusion on the list suggests that the tool may not be effective for correcting bad behavior, said Ridgewood Tenants Union organizer Raquel Namuche.

Changing abusive behavior takes intensive community efforts, not just brief public shaming, she said.

“There is lots of value in knowing who the worst landlords in our city are but it seems like these bad actors end up on the list year after year,” Namuche said. “What would be welcomed is stronger enforcement on the part of our housing agencies, from the city to the state level, so that tenants no longer have to suffer every winter without heat or hot water or through other of the negligent acts people are put through.”

“Essentially, the city needs to do more so that we don’t see these landlords on the list every year.”

LandlordAddressZip CodeCorporationUnitsHPD ViolationsDOB ViolationsEvictionsBorough
Jason Korn250 East 29 Street11226250-251 E. 29 Realty LLC8133750Brooklyn
Jason Korn55 Winthrop Street1122555 Winthrop Street LLC7633482Brooklyn
Jason Korn200 Nagle Avenue10034One Nine Deuce Associates LLC4928120Manhattan
Jason Korn1311 Avenue K112301311 Avenue K Realty LLC3825330Brooklyn
Jason Korn1439 Ocean Avenue112301439 Realty LLC7220681Brooklyn
Jason Korn712 East 27th Street11210712 Realty LLC5918340Brooklyn
Jason Korn1435 Carroll Street112131429 Carroll Street LLC2717900Brooklyn
Jason Korn776 Crown Street11213776 Crown St Realty LLC4616524Brooklyn
Jason Korn192 Nagle Avenue10034One Nine Deuce Associates LLC4916320Manhattan
Jason Korn1690 President Street112131690 President Street3915721Brooklyn
Jason Korn3402 Avenue I112103402 Realty LLC3814920Brooklyn
Jason Korn100 Linden Boulevard11226100 Linden Realty LLC4114530Brooklyn
Jason Korn271 Parkside Avenue11226271 Parkside Ave Realty LLC2412600Brooklyn
Jason Korn1616 President Street112131616 President St LLC2510100Brooklyn
Jason Korn209 East 16 Street11226209 Realty LLC399820Brooklyn
Nathaniel Montgomery378 Throop Avenue11221Throop Court LP53278130Brooklyn
Nathaniel Montgomery150 Tompkins Avenue11206Willoughby Tompkins LP2013400Brooklyn
Nathaniel Montgomery399 Kosciuszko Street11221Northeast Brooklyn Partnership1211000Brooklyn
Nathaniel Montgomery749 Lafayette Avenue11221NEB LP810600Brooklyn
Nathaniel Montgomery98 Pulaski Street11206NEB LP69370Brooklyn
Nathaniel Montgomery706 Mac Donough Street11233Broadway Putnam LP49000Brooklyn
Nathaniel Montgomery403 Kosciuszko Street11221Northeast Brooklyn Partnership137900Brooklyn
Nathaniel Montgomery611 Willoughby Avenue11206Willoughby Tompkins LP97800Brooklyn
Nathaniel Montgomery607 Willoughy Avenue11206Willoughby Tompkins LP97001Brooklyn
Nathaniel Montgomery540 Kosciuszko Street11221Hunterfly LP67000Brooklyn
Nathaniel Montgomery22 Stuyvesant Avenue11221Hunterfly LP86300Brooklyn
Nathaniel Montgomery523 Blake Avenue11207HT Jericho LP165620Brooklyn
Nathaniel Montgomery315 Pulaski Street11206Hunterfly LP85002Brooklyn
Nathaniel Montgomery430 New Jersey Avenue11207HT Jericho LP34500Brooklyn
Nathaniel Montgomery375 Kosciuszko Street11221Hunterfly LP43400Brooklyn
Nathaniel Montgomery456 Bradford Street11207HT Jericho LP33400Brooklyn
Nathaniel Montgomery675 Halsey Street11233Northeast Brooklyn Partnership63001Brooklyn
Nathaniel Montgomery1001 Putnam Avenue11221Broadway Putnam LP62120Brooklyn
Nathaniel Montgomery369 Sheffield Avenue11207HT Jericho LP42000Brooklyn
Nathaniel Montgomery428 New Jersey Avenue11207HT Jericho LP32000Brooklyn
Nathaniel Montgomery1438 Broadway11221Broadway Putnam LP3820Brooklyn
Eric Silverstein261 Lenox Road11226Trio Realty Associates LLC12036090Brooklyn
Eric Silverstein250 Parkville Avenue11230250 Parkville Co.6328130Brooklyn
Eric Silverstein2005 Albemarle Road11226625 Ocean Company5426890Brooklyn
Eric Silverstein39-50 59 Street11377Woodside Silver Associates LLC7823530Queens
Abdul Khan1515 Selwyn Avenue10457MK Realty Group LLC47348592Bronx
Abdul Khan1242 Morris Avenue104561242 Superior Apartments LLC1212790Bronx
Abdul Khan374 East 209 Street10467374 Superior Apartments LLC2712401Bronx
Abdul Khan2250 Grand Concourse104572250 Superior Apartments2212200Bronx
Abdul Khan1201 Dr. Martin L. King Jr Boulevard104521201 MK Realty Group LLC3810780Bronx
Abdul Khan3102 Villa Avenue10468Superior Apartments LLC2393140Bronx
Abdul Khan711 East 183 Street10458711 MK Realty Group LLC88820Bronx
Abdul Khan685 East 234 Street10466685 MK Realty Group677100Bronx
Abdul Khan683 East 234 Street10466683 E 234 St Holdings LLC64920Bronx
Chris DeAngelis476 Columbus Avenue10024476 Columbus Avenue LLC1216230Manhattan
Chris DeAngelis324 West 43 Street10036Triarch Management2010300Manhattan
Chris DeAngelis964 Amsterdam Avenue10025964 MV I LLC2310070Manhattan
Chris DeAngelis1471 St Nicholas Avenue10033602 West 184th Street LLC199600Manhattan
Chris DeAngelis353 West 51 Street10019353 West 51st Street LLC178000Manhattan
Chris DeAngelis472 Columbus Avenue10024472 Columbus Avenue LLC126811Manhattan
Chris DeAngelis10 Westminster Road1121810 Westminster Road, LLC216722Brooklyn
Chris DeAngelis734 Amsterdam Avenue10025200 West 96th Street86130Manhattan
Chris DeAngelis1245 Halsey Street112371245 Halsey Street86020Brooklyn
Chris DeAngelis748 9 Avenue10019748 9th Avenue LLC135700Manhattan
Chris DeAngelis1851 Putnam Avenue11385791 Onkerdonk Avenue LLC75000Queens
Chris DeAngelis1726 Woodbine Street113851726 Woodbine Portfolio LLC63900Queens
Chris DeAngelis1889 Cornelia Street1138518-89 Cornelia Street LLC63500Queens
RIchard Nussbaum495 West 186th Street10033Nussbaum Associates Company LLC60442100Manhattan
RIchard Nussbaum99 Marble Hill Avenue10463Nussbaum Realty Company LLC56441131Manhattan
Joseph Soleimani524 West 173rd Street10032173 Heights LLC1513400Manhattan
Joseph Soleimani169 East 105th Street10029ABJ 105 LLC1110560Manhattan
Joseph Soleimani2605 Marion Avenue10458SCG 2605 LLC258900Bronx
Joseph Soleimani506 West 173rd Street10032173 Heights LLC208100Manhattan
Joseph Soleimani526 West 173rd Street10032173 Heights LLC157950Manhattan
Joseph Soleimani90 East 18th Street11226Brooklyn Park Terrace LLC197130Brooklyn
Joseph Soleimani2601 Marion Avenue10458SCG 311 LLC116700Bronx
Joseph Soleimani340 East 139th Street10454ABJ 340 LLC105100Bronx
Joseph Soleimani301 East 193rd Street10458SCG 301 LLC114410Bronx
Joseph Soleimani2322 Bedford Avenue11226Brooklyn Park Terrace LLC64200Brooklyn
Joseph Soleimani1224 Franklin Avenue10456Claremont Homes LLC134000Bronx
Joseph Soleimani612 East 168th Street10456Claremont Homes LLC93500Bronx
Joseph Soleimani369 East 21st Street11226Brooklyn Park Terrace LLC52100Brooklyn
Nathan Silverstein90 Pinehurst Avenue1003390 Pinehurst LLC4925940Manhattan
Nathan Silverstein9 Cabrini Boulevard10033Cabrini Blockfront LLC3524030Manhattan
Nathan Silverstein5 Cabrini Boulevard10033Cabrini Blockfront LLC3418820Manhattan
Nathan Silverstein1 Cabrinie Boulevard10033Cabrini Block Front LLC3415020Manhattan
William Lucas1593 Fulton Street11213Risley Dent Towers Association248819160Brooklyn
William Lucas529A Gates Avenue11216Gates Cluster Development, LP41000Brooklyn
Michael Lazaroff100 Belmont Place10301[Not Listed]56458142Staten Island
Michael Lazaroff101 Daniel Low Terrace10301[Not Listed]5634170Staten Island

With additional reporting by Paul Frangipane.

Correction (Dec. 17): A previous version of this article stated that the list includes properties with four or more units. In fact, it includes properties with three or more units. The article has been amended, and the Eagle regrets the error.


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