News Across California:
Statewide: FTC Warns Tenant Blacklisting Websites
Five years after Tenants Together complained about
the violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the FTC has issued
warning letters to several "tenant screening" websites.
Merced: Tioga Apartment Residents Told to Pay Up or Get Out
Tenants in a Merced apartment building were
served with "pay or quit" notices demanding payment of rent they don't
owe. One of the building's managers was
allegedly embezzling funds from the management company.
Sacramento: Critics Question Investment Fund's Sacramento Rental Venture
Concerns that Blackstone, one of the
large investment groups in the US, will have negative consequences for the housing market in Sacramento's single-family rental
market. Tenants Together's Executive Director is interviewed for the article.
Notable Nationwide Tenant News:
Nebraska: Tenants in Apartment Complex Will Not Have to Move Tuesday
Tenants in a foreclosed apartment complex were served
with a Writ of Possession, giving them only four days to move, though the Federal Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act allows for longer. Occupy
Lincoln and other community support forced Fannie Mae to delay the
evictions.
Minnesota: City Buckles Down on Landlords
The Minneapolis City Council is attempting to craft an ordinance that would force landlords to maintain their properties
without revoking the landlords' licenses. Revoking the license closes
down the building and forces tenants to move. Some investors who bought
foreclosed properties, in particular, are failing to maintain
their buildings.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Monday, April 15, 2013
Tioga Residents and Merced Tenants Together Win Against Management Over Bogus Eviction Notices
by Susan, member of Merced Tenants Together
On April 2, 2013 MTT held an initial meeting with one of the tenants who received a 3-day notice. With the assistance of two of the residents, MTT went door-to-door to investigate further and recruit residents to meet to decide how to tackle the problem. We discovered that at least 27 residences of 91 were served the notices. A few residents moved without fighting, afraid of an eviction on their record. One tenant paid the extra money. All these tenants had paid their rent in full! This was outrageous!
More than thirty residents attended a building meeting where we discussed how to proceed. The group decided to start a tenants association in order to take action collectively. The first formal association meeting was planned for Friday, April 12.
In the interim, we met informally during the week to keep the residents plugged in about the issue and continued to discuss concerns. We discovered many of the units had serious needs for repairs and rampant pest infestations. We saw hundreds of roaches while visiting tenants during the day. On Wednesday, the Merced Sun Star put the issue on the front page and before noon, KSEE channel 24 was out interviewing the residents about the 3-Day Notices. The story made both 6pm and 11pm news that day.
KSEE was also stunned by the Tioga’s pest problems, and the next day Angela Greenwood from KSEE returned to cover the living conditions at the Tioga.
In response, management went door to door to inspect apartment conditions, rescinded the 3-Day Notices, and issued a letter of apology to each of the residents.
The Tioga Resident Association and MTT secured a swift and awesome victory against the bogus 3-day notices. If it were not for Merced Tenants Together organizing The Tioga building, more tenants may have moved out of fear or paid extra rent they didn’t owe. Inspired by our victory at the Tioga, Merced residents are joining MTT with the desire to take action against other slumlords.
Tonight is the Merced City Council meeting and we look forward to bringing the Tioga living conditions to their attention. City of Merced Code Enforcement says they have received previous requests about the roach problem but they have not inspected or cited the owner. We will tell them it is an emergency and ask that they should send Code Enforcement in to inspect. We will keep you posted. Tioga Residents are ready to fight, and Tenants Together is ready to help in any way we can!
On April 1, 2013, our local chapter of Tenants Together, Merced Tenants Together (MTT), received word from one of our members, a resident at the Tioga Apartments, that many of the tenants received unfounded 3-Day Notices to Pay or Quit. The notices stated they owed money for rent even though the rent had previously been paid. The tenants even had receipts to prove this. MTT immediately took action by notifying reporter Josh Emerson Smith of the Merced Sun-Star of the issue and proceeded to organize the building’s tenants.
On April 2, 2013 MTT held an initial meeting with one of the tenants who received a 3-day notice. With the assistance of two of the residents, MTT went door-to-door to investigate further and recruit residents to meet to decide how to tackle the problem. We discovered that at least 27 residences of 91 were served the notices. A few residents moved without fighting, afraid of an eviction on their record. One tenant paid the extra money. All these tenants had paid their rent in full! This was outrageous!
More than thirty residents attended a building meeting where we discussed how to proceed. The group decided to start a tenants association in order to take action collectively. The first formal association meeting was planned for Friday, April 12.
In the interim, we met informally during the week to keep the residents plugged in about the issue and continued to discuss concerns. We discovered many of the units had serious needs for repairs and rampant pest infestations. We saw hundreds of roaches while visiting tenants during the day. On Wednesday, the Merced Sun Star put the issue on the front page and before noon, KSEE channel 24 was out interviewing the residents about the 3-Day Notices. The story made both 6pm and 11pm news that day.
KSEE was also stunned by the Tioga’s pest problems, and the next day Angela Greenwood from KSEE returned to cover the living conditions at the Tioga.
In response, management went door to door to inspect apartment conditions, rescinded the 3-Day Notices, and issued a letter of apology to each of the residents.
The Tioga Resident Association and MTT secured a swift and awesome victory against the bogus 3-day notices. If it were not for Merced Tenants Together organizing The Tioga building, more tenants may have moved out of fear or paid extra rent they didn’t owe. Inspired by our victory at the Tioga, Merced residents are joining MTT with the desire to take action against other slumlords. Tonight is the Merced City Council meeting and we look forward to bringing the Tioga living conditions to their attention. City of Merced Code Enforcement says they have received previous requests about the roach problem but they have not inspected or cited the owner. We will tell them it is an emergency and ask that they should send Code Enforcement in to inspect. We will keep you posted. Tioga Residents are ready to fight, and Tenants Together is ready to help in any way we can!
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
TT to receive Community Justice Award
Centro Legal de la Raza was founded in 1969 by Latino law students from Boalt Hall at UC Berkeley, and is a comprehensive legal services agency protecting and advancing the rights of immigrant, low-income and Latino communities through bilingual legal representation, education, and advocacy.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Attorney General Kamala D. Harris Announces $1 Million Grant to Benefit California Homeowners & Tenants
“Californians were hit hard by the mortgage crisis and many people are still struggling to stay in their homes,” Attorney General Harris said. “The California Homeowner Bill of Rights gives borrowers more opportunities to stay in their homes, and this grant will help make sure the law is applied across the state and that everyone gets the protection they are entitled to.”
The California Homeowner Bill of Rights (HBOR) is a set of landmark laws that extend key mortgage and foreclosure protections to California homeowners and borrowers. The laws, which took effect at the beginning of this year, restrict dual-track foreclosures, guarantee struggling homeowners a reliable point of contact at their lender, impose civil penalties on fraudulently signed mortgage documents and require loan servicers to document their right to foreclose.
This grant will maximize consumer benefits from the HBOR, while minimizing abuses of the law by providing training to California consumer and housing attorneys from both private and non-profit firms.
The National Housing Law Project will partner with Western Center on Law and Poverty, National Consumer Law Center and Tenants Together to implement this grant.
The National Housing Law Project and its partners will use the grant to:
- Provide high-quality, on-site trainings and webinars to consumer and housing attorneys on how to maximize the HBOR’s protections.
- Train more than 800 lawyers.
- Provide support in cases that raise important legal issues or have potential for broad impact.
- Create a library of litigation materials to help attorneys maximize the HBOR’s benefits.
- Produce a report that analyzes the HBOR’s statewide impact and identifies compliance problems.
Funds provided through this grant were secured by Attorney General Harris through the $18 billion National Mortgage Settlement.
Established in 1968, The National Housing Law Project seeks to advance housing justice by advocating for affordable housing, litigating to uphold homeowners’ and tenants’ rights and offering technical assistance to legal aid attorneys who work with low-income families.
The State Bar has partnered with the Attorney General’s Office to administer the grant and monitor compliance. The National Housing Law Project will provide quarterly financial and program reports to the State Bar and the Attorney General’s Office.
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