pages: RentReviewAdvisoryCommittee/2019-02-04.pdf, 5
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RentReviewAdvisoryCommittee | 2019-02-04 | 5 | Approved Minutes February 4, 2019 bids on the roof and Ms. Mizrachi replied that they were, and that the highest bid submitted thus far was $160,000. Vice Chair Sullivan-Cheah asked the tenants what utilities were included in the rent. The tenants replied that water and garbage were included and they paid PG&E separately. He asked if they had onsite parking, and they replied that they had one parking space. He asked if there was anyone else living in the unit and they stated that their son also lives in the unit, but he was not able to work or contribute monetarily as he was 14 years old. Chair Murray asked the tenants about the condition of the unit when they moved in and Ms. Schmidt said the unit was in fair condition. Mr. Waters said that the carpet was clean and that the unit had an expected amount of wear-and-tear given the unit's age. Chair Murray asked if there was currently anything in the apartment that needed maintenance other than the leak that was discussed, and the tenants replied that there were not currently any other maintenance issues. Chair Murray asked the tenants what effect the proposed rent increase would have on them. They said the increase already went into effect January 1, and that they would have to make it work. Chair Murray asked what kind of effect it would have on their budget, and Mr. Waters replied it put an increased burden on them. Ms. Schmidt added that the increase would have the effect of increasing their credit card debt. They added that their son attended high school in Alameda and they did not want to have to move so they would make sacrifices in order to stay, if need be. Member Chiu asked the landlords if they had talked to the tenants prior to the hearing and the landlords said they had not. Vice Chair Sullivan-Cheah asked the landlords if all their tenants had received a comparable rent increase, and Ms. Mizrachi replied that all tenants received an increase around 4.9% above their base rent. Chair Murray asked if the landlords had learned anything new during the hearing that would make them want to modify the amount of their rent increase request. Ms. Mizrachi replied that she felt that the amount requested was fair and that their rents were in the low-to-mid-range for comparable units. Mr. Velazquez added that the landlord had a lot of expenses and felt the increase request was reasonable. Chair Murray asked if the tenants had learned anything new during the hearing. Ms. Schmidt said that their unit was without hot water for over 24 hours. She expressed concern over how the landlord spent money on the property, e.g., hiring landscapers instead of having the managers doing the gardening by themselves. She again expressed their concern that wages did not keep pace with rent increases. Mr. Waters | RentReviewAdvisoryCommittee/2019-02-04.pdf |