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RESIDENTS of an apartment complex demand that their landlord fix up the property after they’ve been trapped in disgraceful living conditions for months.
The tenants banded together to call out the landlord for failing to meet their obligations, leaving them without power since January.
Resident Brenda Lee is speaking out against her apartment complex’s landlord[/caption]
The tenants claim to have been living without power for months[/caption]
Their homes haven’t been the same since the California wildfires earlier this year[/caption]
Residents are working with local community leaders for help[/caption]
The residents of an apartment complex in Altadena, California, a community just four miles from Pasadena, protested against the complex owners last Thursday, local Fox affiliate KTTV reported.
Altadena residents were forced to evacuate their homes in January after the deadly California wildfires, which spread over 17,000 acres.
The Eaton fire devastated the Altadena and Pasadena areas, burning over 14,000 acres, local ABC affiliate KABC reported.
While many California neighborhoods began rebuilding, residents of the Altadena apartment complex claim to have been living next to dangerous debris that could be contaminated.
“We just want to be able to shower with hot water,” Brenda Lopez told KTTV.
“We just want to be able to connect our heaters and feel warm at night. We want to be able to stay here and not fear that someone’s going to come and kick us out.”
Residents said half of the building is still without power, forcing some to use extension cords to get power from other areas.
During the rally outside the complex on March 20, residents pleaded with the landlord to urgently fix their homes.
“We are here cause we don’t have anywhere else to go, we have children and grandchildren,” tenant Mari Mares said.
“Even though we’re indoors, we are living in uncertainty, the landlord’s employees come to threaten us with the police and immigration.
“We ask that you let us return to our homes.”
At the rally, the desperate tenants can be seen wearing masks and holding signs that demand justice.
A picture of all the renters shows them standing in front of a sign that reads, “Solo el pueblo salva al pueblo,” which translates to: “Only the village can save the village.”
“It’s very bad,” said one resident.
“My family is here so what can I do? The owner does nothing.”
The tenants said they’ve contacted government officials and local churches for help, but now it’s time for the building owner to step in.
Tenant's rights
According to InCharge Debt Solutions, tenants have several rights in the United States:
As a tenant, you have certain rights, and while they vary from state to state, there is a list of standard requirements virtually every landlord in the U.S. must provide:
- Heat (but not air conditioning)
- Running hot and cold water
- Locks and keys
- Smoke detector
- Clean and safe common areas
Landlords can keep security deposits for several reasons. These include:
- Unpaid Rent
- Damage to the Property
- Cleaning Costs
- Unpaid Utilities or Bills
- Breach of Lease Terms
- Abandoned Property
- Repairs Due to Tenant Negligence
If landlords don’t make any necessary repairs, tenants should:
- Review Your Lease or Rental Agreement
- Document the Problem
- Notify Your Landlord in Writing
- Contact Local Housing Authorities
- Repair and Deduct
- Mediation or Legal Action
- Protect Your Rent
They’ve listed several demands for the landlord: restoration of basic services, prioritizing cleaning of affected areas, timely cleanups to protect renters’ health, adequate solutions to longstanding problems, and transparent communication.
“I ask for you not to forget the tenants, the people who are homeless, the people who are still displaced,” Lopez pleaded.
“I ask that you guys fight along with us…and everybody else that’s going through the same thing.”
Community leaders and representatives from the NAACP have joined the tenants’ cry for help and are working to make their homes a safer space.
The National Day Laborer Organization partnered with the community and called out the landlords for violating the renters’ “basic rights.”
“We stand with the Comité de Inquilinos 403 because their demands are not just for basic rights-they are about justice for working families and immigrant communities whose lives have been turned upside down by this fire,” Pablo Alvarado, Co-Executive Director of NDLON said in a statement.
“The situation is urgent, and both the landlords and local government must act swiftly to clean up these toxic environments and restore safe living conditions.”
