MORE than a dozen tenants have received eviction notices as their landlord prepares for a large-scale construction project.
Residents at the 39-unit Portofino Riviera complex in Sausalito, California – across the bay from San Francisco – have until October 31 to vacate their homes.
More than a dozen tenants have received eviction notices at an apartment building in Sausalito, CaliforniaCredit: KTVU
That includes Judy Holmes, 94, who has lived there for 11 years and isn’t sure where she’ll be living once the eviction order goes into effect on October 31Credit: KTVU
Judy Holmes, 94, has lived in her unit at the building for 11 years.
“They must have known what they were going to do,” she told The Marin Independent Journal.
“It’s a disgraceful way to behave.”
Holmes, who’s not sure where she’ll go once she has to leave, is one of 21 tenants who received an eviction notice.
The property owners said the move is necessary to make repairs to the building’s electrical, plumbing, and sewage systems, which are in poor shape.
“In the past year, we have operated the property at nearly 50 percent occupancy to avoid overloading these systems while we actively investigated solutions,” management told The U.S. Sun.
“We are now faced with the reality that the critical repairs which are necessary are highly invasive to both resident common areas and unit interiors and cannot be safely performed while the building is occupied.”
They initially thought the apartment could be fixed with the tenants still living there, but later realized that wasn’t the case.
Rent will be waived through October 31, management said.
But it will likely go up once the renovations are complete, said Todd Rothbard, an attorney representing the complex.
“How else will they pay for the repairs?” he said.
Holmes pays $2,000 per month for her studio, up from $1,400 when she first moved in.
A one-bedroom apartment in the building is currently going for nearly $3,700 and two-bedroom units rent for as much as $7,911.
City officials met with the property owners on Wednesday at the behest of Mayor Melissa Blaustein.
“Whether or not these evictions are lawful is beyond the point, the landlord needs to do what is right,” she told The Marin Independent Journal.
“Any time seniors and long-time tenants are evicted, it is alarming. The city is working to do everything possible to provide services and support as we call upon the property owner to chart a reasonable path forward.”
But the property owners said the building will be in much better shape once the work is completed.
“The building will be renovated during the course of the next year with the goal of modernizing systems and preserving critical rental housing stock in Sausalito,” they said.
