City Attorney Dennis Herrera is taking on San Francisco landlord Anne Kihagi, whom he is calling "a ruthless predator" and "among the most abusive and lawless landlords I've ever encountered." According to today's press release, Herrera is attempting to halt Kihagi from continuing evictions and code violations in the wake of an ongoing battle with the landlord.
Kihagi, according to Herrera, has been waging a "war of harassment, intimidation, and retaliation against dozens of her tenants—targeting seniors and disabled renters for particularly vicious treatment—to force them from their rent-controlled homes."
Once renters are out, Kihagi has ordered unpermitted work, followed by re-renting the units at higher rates and without safety inspections, according to Herrera.
Following up from a lawsuit in June of this year, Herrera is seeking a "tough, enforceable court order to stop Anne Kihagi from continuing to engage in a shocking pattern of lawless business practices," which Herrera says have persisted even after the city first sued.
Kihagi and her associated business entities own more than 50 units in at least ten tenant-occupied, rent-controlled buildings, primarily in the Castro, Mission and Noe Valley, as well as Russian Hill. Properties involved in the litigation include 3947 18th St., 195 Eureka St., 1139 Guerrero St., 69-75 Hill St., 650 Church St., and 1000–1022 Filbert St.
15 tenants, both past and present, submitted declarations in support of the motion, detailing a "shocking pattern of abusive practices to oust rent-controlled tenants." The declarations recount fraud, harassment, threats, intimidation, verbal abuse, reduced and interrupted services, refusal to acknowledge receipt of tenants’ rent payments, and "relentless attempts to evict tenants through unlawful means."
Supervisor Scott Wiener, who supports the action, told the Chronicle that Kihagi is a "sociopath who has no regard for the lives or well-being of her tenants and no regard for the law," and said that she needs to be shut down.
Herrera hopes that the injunction, which is pending in the San Francisco Superior Court, will halt the evictions and harassment, while limiting Kihagi's contact with tenants and requiring her to hire a third-party to manage the units. It would also require her to properly obtain permits, fix code violations, and submit to inspections.
Herrera addressed some of the core reasons behind the injunction. "The problem with this kind of lawlessness isn’t just that it hurts renters. It also hurts law-abiding real estate investors, who would be responsible landlords. Honest businesses shouldn’t have to compete with cheaters."
The hearing is currently scheduled for December 23rd.
