As recently covered in a front page Fresno Bee article, the Fresno Inn ownership served illegal 3-day evictions notices on all tenants. In response, Tenants Together organized a community press conference condemning the evictions and demanding that the owner, Casa de Campo LLC, withdraw the eviction notices.
Initially, rather than comply, the landlord stepped up the harassment, serving a new round of illegal notices. The notices served on August 25 threatened tenants that building power and water would be shut off on Sept. 1. The notices caused great distress at the complex, with residents uncertain what the landlord would try to do over the Labor Day weekend to displace them.
The tenants, supported by Tenants Together, attorney Alessandra Muhawe, and community allies, refused to be scared out of their homes. They stood strong, threatening to obtain a temporary restraining order and have the landlord arrested if he followed through on threats to lock them out of their home. At the urging of Tenants Together, city officials also intervened and contacted the landlord about the threatened utility shutoff. Fresno Neighborhood Revitalization Manager Elaine Robles-McGraw and Deputy City Attorney Tracy Parvanian took prompt action to pressure the owner to refrain from illegal evictions and utility shutoffs.
In a breaking development on Thursday, landlord Casa de Campo LLC agreed to rescind both sets of eviction notices and refrain from further illegal eviction attempts or utility disruptions. The agreement to back off was successfully negotiated by Alessandra Muhawe, a Fresno attorney representing tenants at the Fresno Inn. This is a major victory for the tenants. Although much remains to be done, the immediate threat of eviction appears to be resolved for now.
With the bogus evictions hopefully a thing of the past, Tenants Together is calling on Casa de Campo LLC, LLC member George S. Lee, and manager William Leyton, to get to the business of improving living conditions for the tenants without further delay. The Fresno Inn tenants have suffered enough and they deserve to be treated with respect and in accordance with the law.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Tenant Toolkit: Foreclosure
If you think the housing crisis of the past few years only affected homeowners, think again! As a renter, you didn't do anything to cause the mortgage meltdown that’s been ravaging the housing market, but that doesn’t mean that you're immune its effects. When your landlord defaults on their mortgage, it can leave you in an extremely vulnerable position. That’s why we’ve put together some essential resources to help you know where you stand and what you can do.
First off, it’s important to understand exactly what’s going on. If the property you’re renting has been foreclosed on, that means your landlord has failed to make their own payments on the home, putting his or her ownership status in jeopardy. A bank may step in and become the new owner of your rental, or the property may be put up for auction. In any case, that leaves you answering--and paying rent--to a new landlord, who may or may not have new designs that on the space that don’t include you as a tenant.
So where do you from there? Here are some links to keep handy in your tenant toolkit.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re renting a property that goes into foreclosure, it’s easy to feel like you’re in limbo. Get oriented with this brief FAQ and get some answers to basic questions before you start digging into nitty gritty details.
Foreclosure Laws
Did you know there are laws in place to help tenants in your situation? Banks, agents or other bad actors may try to misinform you in an effort to get you out of the residence. Knowledge of your rights is an indispensable weapon in your arsenal, so make sure you’re versed in foreclosure laws!
Foreclosure Action Guide
Our foreclosure action guide is a step-by-step plan that will lead you through the process of finding out your home’s foreclosure status and asserting your rights as best as possible. We also give detailed information about the best ways of dealing with your new landlord, bringing the actions of bad actors like banks and real estate agents to light, and organizing with other people in your community to protect the rights of other tenants in foreclosure situations.
Dealing with Realtors
New owners of foreclosed properties can be unscrupulous in their attempts to evict you. They may try to convince you that you don’t have rights, offer you deals to get you out quickly or even intimidate through letters, phone calls, or by showing up at odd hours. Don’t let them harass you out of your home. Fight back by learning how to best disarm their attempts.
Public Letter to Bank to Fight Eviction
It’s important for tenants to assert their rights as publicly as possible and in writing. This template gives you a good starting point for reaching out to banks and letting them know your intent to remain a renter. Official letters also signal that you’re serious about your rights and aren’t afraid to fight back!
Contact our Hotline
Finally, don’t forget our Foreclosure Hotline, which you can call at 1-888-495-8020. If you prefer, you can also fill out an online intake form and have a counselor call you back. Every foreclosure situation is unique, so don’t be afraid to speak directly with one of our volunteer counselors. They’re trained to help you asses your situation and strategize how to fight back and defend your rights.
First off, it’s important to understand exactly what’s going on. If the property you’re renting has been foreclosed on, that means your landlord has failed to make their own payments on the home, putting his or her ownership status in jeopardy. A bank may step in and become the new owner of your rental, or the property may be put up for auction. In any case, that leaves you answering--and paying rent--to a new landlord, who may or may not have new designs that on the space that don’t include you as a tenant.
So where do you from there? Here are some links to keep handy in your tenant toolkit.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re renting a property that goes into foreclosure, it’s easy to feel like you’re in limbo. Get oriented with this brief FAQ and get some answers to basic questions before you start digging into nitty gritty details.
Foreclosure Laws
Did you know there are laws in place to help tenants in your situation? Banks, agents or other bad actors may try to misinform you in an effort to get you out of the residence. Knowledge of your rights is an indispensable weapon in your arsenal, so make sure you’re versed in foreclosure laws!
Foreclosure Action Guide
Our foreclosure action guide is a step-by-step plan that will lead you through the process of finding out your home’s foreclosure status and asserting your rights as best as possible. We also give detailed information about the best ways of dealing with your new landlord, bringing the actions of bad actors like banks and real estate agents to light, and organizing with other people in your community to protect the rights of other tenants in foreclosure situations.
Dealing with Realtors
New owners of foreclosed properties can be unscrupulous in their attempts to evict you. They may try to convince you that you don’t have rights, offer you deals to get you out quickly or even intimidate through letters, phone calls, or by showing up at odd hours. Don’t let them harass you out of your home. Fight back by learning how to best disarm their attempts.
Public Letter to Bank to Fight Eviction
It’s important for tenants to assert their rights as publicly as possible and in writing. This template gives you a good starting point for reaching out to banks and letting them know your intent to remain a renter. Official letters also signal that you’re serious about your rights and aren’t afraid to fight back!
Contact our Hotline
Finally, don’t forget our Foreclosure Hotline, which you can call at 1-888-495-8020. If you prefer, you can also fill out an online intake form and have a counselor call you back. Every foreclosure situation is unique, so don’t be afraid to speak directly with one of our volunteer counselors. They’re trained to help you asses your situation and strategize how to fight back and defend your rights.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Fresno Tenants Fight Back!
Tenants Together issued a letter last week demanding that the landlord stop the evictions. The landlord has not responded.
According to the 3-day notices, tenants are being evicted because the property is being demolished to make way for high-speed rail. "These vague 3-day notices are totally illegal," commented Leah Simon-Weisberg, Legal Director of Tenants Together. "Evictions for a CalTrans project would require that tenants get far more than 3-days to move, not to mention state-mandated relocation payments so they don't end up homeless."
"It makes me feel terrible, because they had no right to do this," said Christine Wilson, a tenant who lives at the Fresno Inn with her family, in a recent TV interview.
Omé Quetzal Lopez, regional organizer for Tenants Together, is assisting the tenants and urged the landlord to withdraw these notices: "These tenants are in shock and scared. They've paid their rent but are being kicked out with virtually no notice. There are families with kids, disabled folks, elderly, and low-income tenants who have lived here a long time. This landlord needs to stop these evictions now."
The tenants of the Fresno Inn have repeatedly complained of substandard living conditions. The landlord refuses to make necessary repairs, despite being cited by the city. Tenant advocates suspect that the landlord is trying to empty the building rather than make legally required repairs.
The press conference will be held TODAY at the Fresno Inn, 2335 N. Parkway Dr., Fresno CA 93705
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Meet our Summer Legal Interns
This summer Tenants Together was lucky to have three excellent Legal Interns who contributed to our efforts to hold slumlords in the Central Valley accountable, support the growth of our Tenant Lawyer Network, and research how Code Enforcement functions in major cities across the state. While furthering the goals of promoting safe and affordable housing for California's renters, our internship program focuses on mentoring and developing future public interest lawyers who will continue to fight for tenants long past their internship has ended. We are sad to see them go, but we know they will go on to do great things! Learn more about these future public interest law leaders:
Where did you grow up?
In the Seattle area.
What were the experiences of renters in your neighborhood?
Many renters were stigmatized for not being home owners.
Why did you decide to intern with Tenants Together?
Because tenants rights are IMPORTANT. One third of the country rents, and tenants are almost always unrepresented while landlords lawyer up.
What’s next for you after your internship?
One more year of school at University of San Francisco, working at the Child Advocacy Clinic and hopefully doing a fellowship at Tenants Together.
What's your dream job?
This is a group of fun, progressive-minded people who can tackle serious issues while making time to have a laugh.
What's the craziest landlord story you've heard?
Any time a landlord who has used Arkansas' Criminal Eviction Statute.
What's the least realistic onscreen portrayal of an internship you've ever seen?
I don't know that I have seen an onscreen portrayal of an internship.
What's one thing someone would never guess about you?
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in San Francisco and San Anselmo (in Marin County).
Why did you decide to intern with Tenants Together?
I was excited about the work Tenants Together is doing because I think housing affects people's everyday lives in such a big way. Defending tenants' rights can also make a huge difference in creating and maintaining diverse, vibrant communities where all kinds of people can afford to live. I'm a law student, I wanted to get some hands-on legal experience, and I wanted to get a taste for policy advocacy and organizing work, too.
What’s next for you after your internship?
I'm going back to law school at UC Berkeley for my second year. In the fall, I'll be working at the East Bay Community Law Center's Clean Slate Clinic, helping people clean up their criminal records so they have an easier time re-entering society.
What's your dream job?
Like most people, I'm still trying to figure it out, but my vision so far is to become a lawyer who helps people directly and fights for social justice. That, or a bicycle-riding mobile ice cream taste tester!
What do you enjoy about working with fellow Tenants Together staff & volunteers?
Everyone has been super-friendly and interested in getting to know us interns! I've especially enjoyed the scientific debates about stuff that we know absolutely nothing about.
What's the craziest landlord story you've heard?
There was a case we read in law school about a landlord in Louisiana who used one-way mirrors to spy on his tenants, a newly-married couple. Creepy!
What's the least realistic onscreen portrayal of an internship you've ever seen?
Hmmm... I don't think I watch enough TV.
What's one thing someone would never guess about you?
That I'm 29, married, and have a daughter (People are constantly telling me I look like I'm 17).
Where did you grow up?
Fullerton, California.
Why did you decide to intern with Tenants Together?
I would like to pursue public interest law, and after volunteering in an immigration advocacy non-profit, I wanted to expand my exposure to this legal field by getting involved in housing law.
What’s next for you after your internship?
Going to law school!
What's your dream job?
I’d like to be a public interest lawyer.
What do you enjoy about working with fellow Tenants Together staff & volunteers?
They are passionate not only about their jobs but also about their hobbies and interests, i.e. baking delicious homemade breads and scones.
What's the craziest landlord story you've heard?
The story of the landlords from hell who terrorized their tenants by--among many other atrocious acts-- sawing holes in the floor; cutting off gas, power, and electricity, and creating a false email account under the tenant's name to fire his lawyer.
What's the least realistic onscreen portrayal of an internship you've ever seen?
Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson in “The Internship”
What's one thing someone would never guess about you?
I don't know how to ride a bicycle.
Interested in applying to be a Tenants Together Legal Intern? Read more about our internships and how you can apply here.
Darren Orr
In the Seattle area.
What were the experiences of renters in your neighborhood?
Many renters were stigmatized for not being home owners.
Why did you decide to intern with Tenants Together?
Because tenants rights are IMPORTANT. One third of the country rents, and tenants are almost always unrepresented while landlords lawyer up.
What’s next for you after your internship?
One more year of school at University of San Francisco, working at the Child Advocacy Clinic and hopefully doing a fellowship at Tenants Together.
What's your dream job?
This is a group of fun, progressive-minded people who can tackle serious issues while making time to have a laugh.
What's the craziest landlord story you've heard?
Any time a landlord who has used Arkansas' Criminal Eviction Statute.
What's the least realistic onscreen portrayal of an internship you've ever seen?
I don't know that I have seen an onscreen portrayal of an internship.
What's one thing someone would never guess about you?
By age fifteen I had flown six planes and a helicopter.
Alexx Campbell
I grew up in San Francisco and San Anselmo (in Marin County).
Why did you decide to intern with Tenants Together?
I was excited about the work Tenants Together is doing because I think housing affects people's everyday lives in such a big way. Defending tenants' rights can also make a huge difference in creating and maintaining diverse, vibrant communities where all kinds of people can afford to live. I'm a law student, I wanted to get some hands-on legal experience, and I wanted to get a taste for policy advocacy and organizing work, too.
What’s next for you after your internship?
I'm going back to law school at UC Berkeley for my second year. In the fall, I'll be working at the East Bay Community Law Center's Clean Slate Clinic, helping people clean up their criminal records so they have an easier time re-entering society.
What's your dream job?
Like most people, I'm still trying to figure it out, but my vision so far is to become a lawyer who helps people directly and fights for social justice. That, or a bicycle-riding mobile ice cream taste tester!
What do you enjoy about working with fellow Tenants Together staff & volunteers?
Everyone has been super-friendly and interested in getting to know us interns! I've especially enjoyed the scientific debates about stuff that we know absolutely nothing about.
What's the craziest landlord story you've heard?
There was a case we read in law school about a landlord in Louisiana who used one-way mirrors to spy on his tenants, a newly-married couple. Creepy!
What's the least realistic onscreen portrayal of an internship you've ever seen?
Hmmm... I don't think I watch enough TV.
What's one thing someone would never guess about you?
That I'm 29, married, and have a daughter (People are constantly telling me I look like I'm 17).
Eunice Kim
Fullerton, California.
Why did you decide to intern with Tenants Together?
I would like to pursue public interest law, and after volunteering in an immigration advocacy non-profit, I wanted to expand my exposure to this legal field by getting involved in housing law.
What’s next for you after your internship?
Going to law school!
What's your dream job?
I’d like to be a public interest lawyer.
What do you enjoy about working with fellow Tenants Together staff & volunteers?
They are passionate not only about their jobs but also about their hobbies and interests, i.e. baking delicious homemade breads and scones.
What's the craziest landlord story you've heard?
The story of the landlords from hell who terrorized their tenants by--among many other atrocious acts-- sawing holes in the floor; cutting off gas, power, and electricity, and creating a false email account under the tenant's name to fire his lawyer.
What's the least realistic onscreen portrayal of an internship you've ever seen?
Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson in “The Internship”
What's one thing someone would never guess about you?
I don't know how to ride a bicycle.
Interested in applying to be a Tenants Together Legal Intern? Read more about our internships and how you can apply here.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
"Shellfish" Behavoir
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| Meet Maximus the "Shell-lord" and Sheldon the turtle-tenant, two characters developed by our Online Organizing Intern, Maro. What do you think is happening in this drawing? What would you insert into the speech bubbles? We'll pick the most creative answer to debut in our next newsletter! |
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