Linda Vista apartment complex residents reported receiving eviction notices again after receiving them by mistake in September. This time, the eviction notice is real, and they must vacate by the end of next month.
The tenants at Casa Linda Apartments received eviction notices stating they must vacate by January 31 as the building requires immediate repairs.
Although Angel González who showed Telemundo 20 his home, says that’s a lie and considers this eviction cruel during the holidays.
“It’s an excuse to be able to raise the price of rents here because legally they cannot raise it more than 5-10%,” said González, who is facing eviction.
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According to the notice, management seeks to replace the electrical system throughout the building and the plumbing, because they currently present problems.
But González says those problems do not exist.
A notice from UIP Linda Vista LLC which bought Casa Linda apartments in September, states that they have city permits to make repairs, and tenants must vacate the property by the end of January.
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"It's been so stressful since the apartments were bought," said the tenant.
In September, the tenants in the 42-unit building received eviction notices, but UIP Linda Vista LLC told NBC 7 at the time, those notices were sent by mistake and sent the following statement:
“The property was acquired less than one month ago, and we plan to make improvements. No tenant is being evicted to make renovations, nor will there be an attempt to do so in the future. To minimize inconvenience to those tenants who voluntarily wish to move, we have offered relocation assistance. We apologize for any miscommunication suggesting otherwise.”- Sent in September.
"It looks like they're playing with us, they're harassing us," Gonzalez said. He has been in a two-bedroom apartment for 12 years and pays $1,200, and because of the price increase, he doesn't expect to find another like it.
Telemundo 20, and NBC 7 contacted the person who sent the notices as well as a representative of UIP Linda Vista LLC and confirmed that the eviction notice is valid due to the reasons stated in the notice.
"The law does not require that reparation actually be necessary," said Gilberto Vera of the Legal Aid Society of San Diego. "They could say, 'I'm going to do the repairs for a month and when it's over, you come back,' but that's not what they want because they then couldn't increase the rent."
Next week, Casa Linda residents will meet with District 7 Alderman Raul Campillo to ask San Diego's mayor to approve permanent protections to prevent no-fault evictions, otherwise, their only hope is a miracle.
This story was originally reported by NBC 7's sister station, Telemundo 20. To read the article, click here.
