Band landlord alert & action: Brick + Timber

San Francisco CA

Description

Got this under my door and figured it must affect many people here since they own so many buildings. Tell your neighbors and your friends. They seem to have the same pattern of behavior in all their buildings across town. You are not alone nor are you helpless. Dear neighbor, Hope you’re doing well! We are reaching out to invite you to a tenants meeting for our building on ________ over Zoom with the Housing Rights Committee. Recently, our building owner, Ballast Investments / Brick + Timber, started a massive construction project to add 3 ADUs in the basement without proper notification to us so we can appeal. In 2 days over a weekend, we have unlawfully lost laundry, parking, access to the basement, easy access to the garbage bins, backyard, bike storage and an emergency exit through the basement. Furthermore, Brick + Timber has a history of doing this unlawfully while using the construction as an excuse to permanently remove amenities for tenants. Many neighbors felt this was not right, and we reached out to Brad Hirn (hrcsf.org) at Housing Rights Committee (HRC) of San Francisco, a tenants’ rights organization for SF tenants. We worked with Brad to file an appeal on the permit for the project, and that appeal has now been filed (attached). That means the construction should stop (for now), and we’ll get an actual hearing with the Board of Appeals to raise issues with this project and how it’s being done. They have had permits for construction revoked due to their unlawful behavior in the past. If you lived here before Ballast / Brick + Timber took over, you may also know that many of us are facing a huge rent increase -- an “operations & maintenance rent increase.” That rent increase is based on Ballast’s mortgage! It feels very unfair to be facing a huge rent increase after a year of COVID-19 and now this construction project. Please also know that Brick + Timber has a long record of tenant harassment and unlawful behavior across all their buildings in the past and that is why the HRC has now dedicated more resources in bringing this attention to all city departments and district supervisors who are also aware of these issues. If you want to participate in stopping or changing this project and stopping this rent increase, join us __________ over Zoom. It is very important for tenants to speak up against these predatory landlords as it hurts all tenants in the city overall with inaction. In fact, these landlords are counting on you to do nothing so they can keep getting away with this. -Your neighbors We hope you will join in solidarity!