City accuses big landlord of illegal tactics
From today’s SFGate (and others),
City Attorney Dennis Herrera accused one of San Francisco’s biggest landlords on Wednesday of using intimidation, shutting off utilities and employing other illegal tactics to force tenants out of rent-controlled apartments so they can be leased to new renters at higher rates.The allegations were contained in a lawsuit filed in Superior Court by Herrera’s office against Citi-Apartments and its corporate parent, Skyline Realty, which is owned by real estate mogul Frank Lembi and his family. The companies operate more than 150 apartment buildings housing some 7,000 tenants.
“The facts revealed by my office’s investigation demonstrate very clearly that the owners of Skyline Realty and CitiApartments made a calculated business decision to operate in violation of the law — and to do so consistently,” Herrera said in a written statement.
“Given its dominant market position and web of subsidiaries, Skyline’s illicit business practices do not merely victimize tenants, they cheat the vast majority of law-abiding landlords with whom they compete unfairly. Their business conduct is egregious, it is pervasive, it is illegal, and it will not be countenanced in San Francisco’s rental marketplace.” [more...]
City accuses big landlord of illegal tactics [SFGate]
S.F. sues major residential rental firm [Examiner]
Tenants tell of armed intimidation [Examiner]
The Scumlords [Bay Guardian]
Herrera Sues Skyline Realty, CitiApartments for Egregious Pattern of Illegal Business Practices [BeyondChron]
CitiApartments – San Francisco [official site]
