Prosecutors Announce $10,000 Settlement Against Landlord

Press release from the City of Alameda:

November 30, 2021

City Prosecutors Announce $10,000 Settlement Against Landlord Accused Of Fraudulent Eviction Of Disabled Tenants

The Prosecution Unit of the Alameda City Attorney’s Office has reached a settlement with an Alameda landlord who had allegedly evicted a former tenant on the fraudulent pretext that she was going to occupy the apartment herself – but did not move in and instead re-rented the unit for almost double the rent.

The former tenant and her late husband were both disabled. Her husband was also a senior. They had rented the apartment for more than five years and were paying a controlled rent of $1,450 when Wang served them with the eviction notice. Wang allegedly never moved into the unit, and later began renting it out for almost double the former rent.

“Many landlords, and also tenants, still don’t know about these important housing laws,” said City Attorney Yibin Shen. “There are only limited ways to remove a tenant in Alameda. Fraudulently using the owner move-in exception to evict tenants violates local housing laws.”

Deputy City Attorney Montague Hung and Paralegal Rico Fenix from the City Attorney’s Prosecution Unit investigated the complaint against Wang and obtained the settlement.

The Alameda City Attorney Office’s Prosecution Unit educates the public and enforces the laws governing fair housing and consumer protection in our community. If you have questions or would like to report an issue, please contact the Prosecution Unit at 510-747-4772 or email to cityprosecutor@alamedacityattorney.org.

Photographs by Maurice Ramirez, Richard Bangert and Kirby Fong.

This press release was produced by the City of Alameda. The views expressed here are the author’s own.