Latest news with #tenantrights
CBS News
9 hours ago
- General
- CBS News
Frustrated tenants take action one month after Fort Worth apartment fire
One month after a six-alarm fire ripped through The Cooper Apartments in Fort Worth, tenants on Wednesday began taking matters into their own hands. Some residents entered the building and tossed belongings from a second-floor balcony. "It has been awfully frustrating," said Parker Perego. "I spent a month living in my parents' guestroom until I finally was able to find a new place in. Now that I have a new place, I don't have much of anything to put in it because it's all locked upstairs." Antonio Busby was one of at least two dozen tenants who protested outside the complex Wednesday, hoping to get answers from the Cooper management team about when they would be allowed to recover their belongings. The fire displaced more than 800 tenants, including Busby. "I feel like it's unacceptable," Busby said. "I feel like they're more concerned with their own liability before the well-being of their own tenants." Tenant Miriam Zarza is still missing her three pets that were inside the building when the fire happened. "Like I'm devastated. I don't want kids. These were my kids. These were my only babies. I've been having them since they were born. It's just a very heartbreaking experience," said Zarza. After 30 days of tenant demands, the management team finally provided some answers. In a statement to CBS News Texas, a spokesperson said that starting Monday, they will "begin reaching out to each resident individually to discuss next steps relative to their personal belongings." "That's very surprising. It seems like they're trying to make a good face for show rather than getting with the residents and letting them know what the timeline is," said Busby. "So, that's pretty shocking to me. I'm glad to hear it, but I wish it had come from the rental property and the Light Bulb Capital Group rather than coming from you right now." The Cooper management team added that, given the size of the community, the process will take time, but they will provide tenants with regular updates. While Zarza said the news of being allowed back inside her apartment provides some relief, it doesn't bring back her pets or ease the frustration she and others have felt over the past month. "I'll believe it when I see it. They've been saying that since the week of the fire, and we have not gotten updates," Zarza said. "So honestly, I'll just believe it when I see it."
The Independent
12 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
LA family evicted by landlord then threatened with ICE
A Latino family in Los Angeles is suing their landlord over a 2024 eviction, alleging the landlord's attorney threatened them with immigration agents. The tenant, Yicenia Morales, a US citizen, expressed distress and fear after the attorney's email referenced potential deportation by ICE. The landlord's attorney, Rod Fehlman, denies the message was a threat, stating it was a warning about ICE arrests at courthouses and was taken out of context. California Attorney General Rob Bonta has issued a warning that it is illegal to discriminate or retaliate against tenants based on their immigration status. The tenant's lawyer noted an increase in 'emboldened' comments regarding race and immigration status towards renters, linking it to the Trump administration.
CBS News
2 days ago
- CBS News
Pittsburgh college student says he returned to apartment to find 2 strangers living there
When a college student in Pittsburgh returned to his apartment after being away for a month, he found two strangers living there instead of his roommate. University of Pittsburgh student Maverick Crupi said he was blindsided last month when strangers suddenly moved in without notice from his landlord at the SkyVue Apartments. "I opened the door, I walked in, and everything in the kitchen that was there, that I had there, was no longer there," Crupi said. "And there was new pots, there was new pans, there's a candle." Crupi said he also found two naked strangers inside his apartment in the city's Oakland neighborhood. "This lady, she's probably like 35, 40 [years old], just naked, walks out, looks at me and starts screaming," he said. The college student said he was given no notice that his former roommate apparently sublet his room. After reviewing his contract, he believed it was in total violation of his rights as a tenant. "If you're going to rely on the contract to have me pay you rent every month and utilities and follow whatever addendums you have in there, then you, as the person that made the contract, need to follow it to a T, too." A clause in the contract states that replacing a resident or subletting "is allowed only when we expressly consent in writing," going on to say that "the remaining resident and replacement residents must sign an entirely new lease contract." But KDKA Investigates learned the contract Crupi signed was a "by-the-bed" lease, meaning while his apartment was a two-bedroom with a shared living space, he was only renting, paying for and leasing his bedroom. Several local attorneys told KDKA Investigates SkyVue was not in breach of the contract. "Because these were individual separate leases, then that's something where he's not really going to have much of a claim to the breach of the covenant of quiet and enjoyment here, just because new tenants were put in there without his prior knowledge or consent," attorney Daniel Stoner said. Stoner said that had Crupi and his former roommate signed a joint lease together, the subletting clause in his contract would have been effective. But even then, Stoner said it comes down to landlord discretion. "It is true that the landlord, that's really at their discretion and option if they want to enforce those clauses or not, and sometimes they do. Sometimes they don't," Stoner said. Several attorneys KDKA Investigates talked to say most tenant-landlord contracts typically are more landlord-friendly and weigh in favor of the property owner. "Look at your contract, look at the laws that are in the city, try to see if you're getting what you're entitled to. At the end of the day, the bare minimum, hopefully, at least you're getting that, and people are following their contract," Crupi said. Stoner said make sure tenants read and understand their contracts, and do not be afraid to ask questions. "Those are questions that you certainly should be asking, particularly if you are entering into a lease where you're renting out an individual bedroom and you're living in a unit with other people that are that are renting," Stoner said. If a tenant needs help with a contract, Stoner said to contact an attorney. He also suggested practicing good communication. Even so, Stoner said the landlord could have done a better job making sure this wasn't a surprise for Crupi. "If somebody did get hurt, the landlord could potentially be liable for all this," the attorney said. "This could have been easily preventable just by giving the guy a call or sending him a text or email to let him know this is happening."
CTV News
14-07-2025
- CTV News
Housing advocates gather for mock ceremony of ‘worst' London landlords
Advocates call for a landlord licensing program to ensure more responsibility and quality of housing. (Lauren Stallone/CTV News London) London ACORN members gathered at Victoria Park for a 'Slumlord of the Year' award ceremony. The event is aimed at highlighting some of what advocates are calling 'the worst landlords in the city.' 'What we are really after is to protect our quality of life,' said Jordan Smith with ACORN London. 'And our standard of living.' Many tenants said they are experiencing unsafe housing, pest infestations, leaks, mold and crumbling infrastructure. 071425 Advocates call for a landlord licensing program to ensure more responsibility and quality of housing. (Lauren Stallone/CTV News London) 'We've been trying to get repairs done to the pavement by our front door,' said Ashley Hackett, ACORN member. 'It wasn't done properly; it was sticking to our shoes when it was done.' 'I was in St. John's Hospital in February for mold treatment,' said local resident Michel Theriault. 'The mold in my building made me sick.' Ken DeJomg said she has been exposed to unsafe living conditions for over two years. 'We have controllable pests in our unit that they keep on spraying for but they don't seem to spray the whole unit, so they keep coming back,' said DeJomg. 'When you are on a fixed income you can only do so much.' She said she has tried to vocalize her concerns to her landlord, but it is an 'unpleasant encounter' and 'nothing gets done.' 'I'm just really hoping that maybe the city will start to learn that these things are going on and these people's homes,' said DeJomg. Advocates said they are calling on the city to implement a proactive landlord licensing and inspection program that covers all rental properties. They said programs like Toronto's RentSafe would protect tenants from their landlord after filing a complaint. 'You need a license to run a business, you need a license to drive a car, you need a license to own a cat,' said Smith. 'Those are all reasonable things, but then how is it that we don't have any kind of system for the people that are responsible for our lives and safe space.' Advocates said a landlord licensing program would help ensure landlords take responsibility and follow city bylaws. 'We are seeing a downward slide in the quality of our lives,' said Smith.
RNZ News
14-07-2025
- RNZ News
Illegal boarding house tenants told to hide from housing inspectors
The living area for 22 tenants. The tenant says it was apparent Truong was able to listen in to discussions in the house through the microphone on the camera mounted on the ceiling. Photo: Supplied / MBIE A man who lived in an illegal boarding house in Queenstown says landlord James Truong instructed tenants to hide from MBIE inspectors as attention on the property grew. The man - who did not want his identity revealed - says he and another person were charged $440 a week to share a small room in a converted shed out the back of the house. The Ministry of Business and Innovation (MBIE) said Truong had been ordered to pay $113,723.56 for multiple breaches of the Residential Tenancies Act as well as refund 40 percent of the rent paid by tenants of an unlawful boarding house . Truong was also issued with a 3-year restraining order from committing any further unlawful acts related to operating a boarding house. The Ministry's tenancy compliance and investigations had advised Truong to stop using the building as a boarding house in 2020, but a complaint in 2023 revealed 11 people living in the five-bedroom house and another 11 people housed in two converted garages and a shed. The tenant said he shared a room in the shed behind the house between April and July 2023. "It's like storage but he converted it as bedrooms. There was a microwave, a sofa and two small rooms. So me and my friend is living in that one bedroom and then one Sri Lankan guy is living in the other bedroom. "The shed doesn't have any bathrooms so we need to go inside the house to use the bathroom. Even the laundry is in there so we have to walk from the back of the house to the inside of the house," he said. The tenant says five people living in the house's garage were evicted with a night's notice when Truong became aware of MBIE inspections. Photo: Supplied / MBIE He said - as MBIE began investigating the house - Truong sent texts instructing him to leave the property or stay inside the shed when inspection teams were near. RNZ has seen texts from Truong instructing tenants to remove food from fridges, dismantle beds and put their clothes in plastic bags ahead of inspections. "He is messaging us to hide in the shed. He had cameras so he can see if it's MBIE. So he is messaging me saying 'ok don't go out from your room just stay there until I say so'. It's like we were doing something wrong," he said. He said five Indonesian people living in the garage were kicked out with only a night's notice once Truong learned the house was under investigation. Being new to country, the man said he was not sure whether the living situation was normal. "I don't know the kind of rules and it's really hard to find an accommodation so I thought like 'maybe that's how it works here'. So we don't know that we are getting exploited," he said. He said Truong would "pursue" the tenants with texts and sudden visits and - as attention of the house grew - he attempted to pressure tenants to sign letters indicating they agreed to live in the spaces willingly. The tenant said MBIE had tried to contact him but he did not respond because he was scared of losing his accommodation. Landlord James Truong instructed tenants to stow away beds, clothing and food and hide from inspectors as attention on the property grew. Photo: Supplied by tenant National manager for MBIE's Tenancy Compliance and Investigations Team, Brett Wilson, said the penalty was not the largest order issued by the Tenancy Tribunal but the amount was reflective of the number of tenants involved and the seriousness of the issues uncovered. Wilson said the amount of rent to be refunded to the tenants was still being determined and appealed to any people who had lived at the property under Truong to get in touch. "MBIE expects all parties to comply with Tenancy Tribunal orders. Mr Truong has engaged with us so far and we will be working with him to arrange payment. In these cases our priority is to ensure that tenants receive the money they are entitled to and we will take all appropriate steps to make sure that happens," Wilson said. He defended the nearly three years between Truong being told not to use the property as a boarding house in 2020 and the investigation following complaints in 2023. "We do try and follow up cases as frequently as we can but with 600,000 estimated rental properties in the country we aren't always able to follow up cases as promptly as we would like to," Wilson said. Renters United president Zac Thomas said the time between Truong being told not to run the property as a boarding house in 2020 and the eventual penalty - nearly five years later - reinforced a "cowboy culture" of non-compliance with housing standards. "When you do the math behind what this landlord must have made from 22 people over the space of nearly five years. We're looking at around $450 a week in fines. They would have made much more than that from the rents that were being paid by the tenants. It's absolutely crazy," Thomas said. He said until the housing crisis in places like Queenstown was addressed, tenants would continue to be taken advantage of by unscrupulous landlords. "We're seeing more and more cases like this because of the reintroduction of no cause evictions. Tenants are too afraid to speak up - at least they did so in this case over time - but throughout the country, time and time again - we see tenants too scared to stand up for their basic rights," Thomas said. Thomas said the Tenancy Tribunal was not properly resourced to address the scale of the problem in New Zealand. "This should've never taken five years to get to this stage. It's disastrous for our international reputation - in the heart of our tourist capital. "This person should never be able to be a landlord again. [The penalty] is a slap on the wrist compared to the consequences that there should be. "Until we have proper punishments for landlords we'll continue to see this cowboy culture where people push up against the law - go past the line - because they don't believe the punishments are greater than the money they can make from these situations," Thomas said. RNZ has been unable to contact Truong for comment. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
