After contesting decades of allegedly illegal rent increases at the apartment they’ve occupied since 1984, Ben and Cathi Wong say their landlords are invoking the Ellis Act to kick them out.
The eviction notice came in October 2021, posted on their front door. According to the notice, their landlords were invoking the Ellis Act, signaling their intent to pull the apartment off the rental market.
The Wongs were supposed to be out by last October, but they opted to stay and contest the eviction in court. For decades, the Wongs say pricey annual rent increases kept rolling in, despite having landlords they allege rarely fixed anything in the ancient apartment. Taking NBC Bay Area on a tour, the couple point out a leaky drainpipe, a large hole in their closet wall, water-damaged floorboards, and a heater they say hasn’t worked in decades.
Paying was becoming a struggle for the retired couple on a fixed income. So, they started researching what rights they had as tenants, and made a major discovery: Their building falls under the city’s rent control laws. “We don’t know where we’re going to go or how we’re going to pay for it because we’re on a fixed income,” Ben Wong said. “We’re seniors now. We’re not young anymore.”
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