A Nigerian-born landlord in the United States, Olufemi Falade, reportedly owes more than $450,000 in fines, unpaid taxes and water bills, and has appeared on New York City’s Worst Landlord Watchlist six different times in the last decade.
According to a statement issued by New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams on Saturday, Falade is the registered head officer of 1321 Flatbush Avenue, the Brooklyn apartment building that collapsed on Wednesday, killing eight people.
Falade was also sentenced to 12 days in jail in 2006 and fined $50,000 for civil contempt after failing to address more than 1,800 violations, including vermin infestations, exposed wires and leaking pipes, at 12 Brooklyn buildings he owned at the time.
PUNCH Online had earlier reported that the three-storey apartment building located in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn collapsed at about 4 pm on Wednesday, November 11, plunging into an adjoining construction site where excavation work was underw
In a statement issued by the New York City Public Advocate, Jumaane Williams, on Saturday, and sighted by PUNCH Online, Falade has appeared on the Public Advocate’s annual list six times in the last 10 years, most recently in 2024.
The statement noted that the Nigerian-born landlord first appeared on the list in 2017, ranking 93rd. Subsequent times, he appeared again in 2019, ranked 66th; 2020, ranked 50th; 2021, ranked 68th; 2022, ranked 100th; and 2024, ranked 95th.
“The landlord of 1321 Flatbush Avenue, the building which collapsed Wednesday in a tragedy that has killed eight New Yorkers, made several appearances on the annual Worst Landlord Watchlist over the last decade, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams announced today.
“Olufemi Falade, registered with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) as the head officer for the property, has appeared on the Public Advocate’s annual list six times in the last decade, most recently in 2024.
“Past rankings have included: 2024: Ranked #95 Worst Landlord; 2022: Ranked #100 Worst Landlord; 2021: Ranked #68 Worst Landlord; 2020: Ranked #50 Worst Landlord; 2019: Ranked #66 Worst Landlord; 2017: Ranked #93 Worst Landlord,” the statement read partly.
Williams said landlords with poor maintenance records routinely put “profit over people,” adding that Falade had a documented history of failing to maintain properties.
He, however, noted that investigations were ongoing to establish the cause of the collapse and determine whether negligence contributed to the tragedy.
Williams said, “The city’s Department of Buildings is leading an investigation into the collapse, examining every aspect of the building and all construction work.”
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“The Worst Landlords in our city routinely put profit over people, and negligence can put lives at risk.
“While we don’t yet know exactly what caused the collapse that claimed the lives of our neighbours and devastated our city, Olufemi Falade has a documented record of failing to maintain properties. It is essential that any negligence which may have contributed be identified, everyone responsible held accountable, and preventative action taken to save lives in the future,” the statement added.
However, in a report by the New York Post on Saturday, Falade owes more than $450,000 in fines, unpaid taxes and water bills.
The report noted that, according to a review of city records, the Nigerian landlord “owes $170,000 in fines issued by the Department of Buildings in 2019 for improperly displayed signs.
“He also owes the city $114,945 in unpaid water bills accumulated over several years and $113,526 in property taxes dating to 2021.”
Investigations by the Post revealed that the building, which is 96 years old, was purchased by Falade in 1999 for an undisclosed price under the entity “Femi Realty Corp.”
In November 2024, the report said Falade transferred the building’s ownership to another entity he controls, “Isolag Realty Corp,” signing off on the deed as both the seller and buyer with no money exchanged.
The report noted that the collapsed building had 98 open violations with the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development before it collapsed, including violations for a leaky roof, defective doors, bedbug infestations and exposed wiring, according to HPD records.
The leaky roof violations date as far back as 1976 and continued being issued through earlier this year.
The New York Post further reported that Falade owes the Internal Revenue Service “another $49,269 for unpaid personal federal income taxes, according to a 2010 lien. He also owes New York state another $4,316 in personal income taxes.
“Falade was also sentenced to 12 days in jail in 2006 and fined another $50,000 for civil contempt for failing to fix more than 1,800 violations — including vermin infestations, exposed wires and leaking pipes — at 12 Brooklyn buildings he then owned.”
Shifting properties between shell companies to evade fines and taxes is common among rogue landlords, but it doesn’t absolve them of debt, according to legal experts, the report said.
