Jumaane Williams Called Out Slumlords — Now He’s Being Called One

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams has spent years calling out bad landlords, even going so far as to publish an annual “Worst Landlords Watchlist,” naming and shaming some of the city’s most notorious property owners. But now, ahead of a heated primary, critics are turning the spotlight back on him, questioning whether Williams himself deserves a spot on that very list.

Worst Landlords Watchlist

Williams originally published the list of the city’s worst landlords back in January 2025. His name wasn’t included on that list, but now The New York Post is claiming it maybe should have been.

Williams may have been a problematic landlord himself. He lost property he allegedly used as a rental investment property and now he is facing criticism from his opponent in the upcoming primary.

Property Was Placed in Foreclosure

Back in 2010, Williams allegedly stopped making his monthly mortgage payments of $1,344 on a property that had a mortgage valued at $389,600, according to the New York Post. The home was then placed in foreclosure by Bank of America in 2014. Bank of America had acquired the loan after it bought the original lender Countrywide Financial during the subprime mortgage crisis.

CBS News previously reported that Bank of America had settled federal charges against Countrywide Financial back in 2011. Those federal charges were related to discriminatory lending practices involving Black and Latinx homeowners.

The Bank of America settlement was part of broader federal efforts that were trying to address concerns about mortgage lenders accused of using unrealistic and predatory lending practices.

Williams’ Mortgage Debt Went Up

Even with that settlement by Bank of America, a court-appointed referee calculated that Williams’ mortgage debt continued to go up from its initial valuation and at that time was at $784,927. This total included interest and penalties accrued by the unpaid mortgage.

Williams then appealed the decision and the property was listed for sale with a foreclosure auction in April. However, no one bid on the property and it reverted back to Bank of America. After that all took place, the mortgage debt for Williams increased to $944,852, per a listing on auction.com.

Williams Faces Criticism

While Williams has maintained that the problems with the property stem from the terms of his initial loan with Countrywide and that some of his tenants weren’t paying their rent, his political adversaries had other thoughts.

Councilman Robert Holden, a moderate Democrat representing Queens and a long-time critic of Williams, took advantage of the situation and criticized Williams publicly.

Holden told the New York Post, “Jumaane Williams has been paid a six-figure taxpayer-funded salary for years, yet he still couldn’t pay his bills or keep his home. Like many in government, he can’t even manage his own life — so why should anyone trust him to manage the people’s business?”

New York State Assemblywoman Jennifer Rajkumar, who happens to be challenging Williams for his position as New York City Public Advocate in the June primary, also seized the opportunity to criticize her opponent.

In a statement issued by her spokesperson Arvind Sooknanan, she said, “Like the very slumlords he put on his ‘Worst Landlords Watchlist,’ Jumaane Williams pocketed rent from tenants, pulled in a six-figure salary, and still failed to make basic mortgage payments on his investment property. This isn’t just bad judgment — it’s pure hypocrisy.”

Statement From Williams

For Williams, his team framed the issues with the mortgage as being part of the exploitative practices of the banking industry, which was investigated by CBS News back in 2011 when Bank of America took over the loans issued by the original lender.

Williams’ spokesperson, Williams Gerlich, said, “As has been extensively covered for a decade, the Public Advocate has an investment property in the foreclosure process, in part due to exploitative banking practices. Many New Yorkers are facing much worse today – losing their family homes as a result of the affordability crisis and predatory practices – which is why the Public Advocate constantly stands up to the mayor’s rent hikes and the bad actors driving families out of our city.”