Yesterday, San Francisco’s Attorney David Chiu announced a suit against the owners of three Chinatown single-room occupancy (SRO) hotels. The lawsuit alleges public nuisance and a lack of response to many health and safety violations, according to the SF City Attorney. The defendants Jeff Appendrodt, Shailendra Devdhara, Kamlesh Patel, and five associated LLCs, are alleged to have neglected their properties, causing their tenant’s sufferings.
A long list of violations is attributed to the housing conditions in these SRO hotels including unpermitted work, broken plumbing, exposed electrical wiring, infestations of insects, unsanitary shared restrooms, malfunctioning appliances, lack of heating and emergency exits, broken locks, damage from mold, mildew, lead risks, and more.
Several city departments, notably including the Department of Building Inspector (DBI) and its Chief Housing Inspector, Jamie Sanbonmatsu, have made some progress. However, there are still 21 outstanding Notices of Violation (NOVs) addressing health, sanitation, and structural issues and more necessary work. These outstanding violations give cause to the conclusion that work needs to be continued to safeguard the well-being of the tenants.
As Malcolm Yeung, Executive Director of Chinatown Community Development Center emphasizes, this lawsuit is important because it asserts that all city dwellers, regardless of income, are entitled to safe and sanitary living conditions per the City Attorney of San Francisco.
The National Low Income Housing Coalition reports a 7 million deficit of affordable rental homes for extremely low-income households in the US. This deficit has perpetuated the hazardous living conditions faced by low-income families and exacerbated their resource scarcity.
Greater governmental regulation and enforcement could potentially help improve housing standards for low-income residents. Increased oversight can motivate landlords to maintain safe and sanitary living conditions and promptly address violations.
The Director of DBI, Patrick O’Riordan, emphasized every San Franciscan should be assured that their rights will be defended by the city, as mentioned in the SFCityAttorney article.
