pages: RentReviewAdvisoryCommittee/2019-02-04.pdf, 4
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RentReviewAdvisoryCommittee | 2019-02-04 | 4 | Approved Minutes February 4, 2019 Chair Murray asked the tenants if there was a formal way to report maintenance issues and they replied that there was not, and that they usually text the manager to make reports. Member Chiu asked the tenants if they could again explain why the proposed increase caused a financial hardship. Mr. Waters replied that they had just enough income to pay the bills and sometimes they had to juggle their financial obligations and defer payments to make sure all bills got paid. They added that the bank fraud they experienced had greatly contributed to their financial hardship, as it froze their accounts and interfered with their direct deposits. The tenants said they felt that rent should not account for half of their income. Mr. Waters said he receives a pension and works two part-time jobs to make ends meet. Ms. Schmidt stated she works as a babysitter and does a lot of unpaid volunteer work in the community. Chair Murray asked the landlords if there was a formal system to report maintenance issues. Ms. Rodriguez replied that there is an online system where tenants could file maintenance requests, and they could also call, text, or drop into the management office. Chair Murray asked what the management office hours were, and Ms. Rodriguez replied the office is open Monday-Saturday from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Ms. Rodriguez added that she always returned messages and phone calls within 48 hours. She said she takes the stairs and therefore would not know whether the elevator worked unless someone reports it. She said the building's elevator is the original one, which was installed in 1965, and therefore came with maintenance challenges, but management always tried to keep it running smoothly. She added that all tenants were sent an email and text informing them of the new online system to report maintenance issues. The tenants replied that they did not receive these communications. Chair Murray suggested that management should work with tenants to ensure they knew how to report maintenance issues and use the online portal. Vice Chair Sullivan-Cheah asked how the rent increase was calculated. Ms. Mizrachi replied that management sought annual increases of 5% or less to keep in line with the City's rent stabilization ordinance. Vice Chair Sullivan-Cheah pointed out that the City does not have a cap on rent increases, but a process that is triggered when the rent increase is above 5%, adding that tenants may request review of increases of any amount. Vice Chair Sullivan-Cheah asked why management did not raise the rent in 2018, and Ms. Mizrachi replied that the landlord was auditing their records and wanted a full picture of their finances before requesting a rent increase. He asked what expenses had increased at the property other than the deferred maintenance issues, and Ms. Mizrachi replied that the owner had a mortgage on the property, its largest expense, as well as regular maintenance and management costs. She stated that the deferred maintenance required was a roof replacement. Vice Chair Sullivan-Cheah asked if they were getting | RentReviewAdvisoryCommittee/2019-02-04.pdf |