Are these demands within reason, or law?

I'm Ali. My boyfriend is Matthew and we reside in a residential hotel for a year. The room is Matthew's father's. He began renting this room in 1972. He lived here then kept the room when he moved to Washington D.C. He uses his room 1-2 weeks of the year when he travels to S.F. He's an author, a writer for the N.Y. Post and wrote also for the S.F. Chronicle for years. He's kept in this place many personal and professional documents, books he wrote or collected throughout his life, pictures, etc. He and Matthew agreed and arranged Matt as care taker, his dad worried about things around here. Matt and I needed a place temporarily to stay, moving to the city. We found things a wreck. The owners, moving a set of enormous book shelves into this room began piling the books and papers into each shelf. We've cleaned, organized, boxed-up, and delivered much of the content of the literature to a storage unit for him and once we stood back and assessed, we've discovered many issues here needing attention. A black mold spot, spread horizontal in a corner of the ceiling, a foot-1/2 long as well as entire ceiling sections throughout the hotel, torn open, due to a bulge where water damage from leaks had formed. The door next to ours was a closet that became a garbage collection area, we are told it's sub-standard conditions and a health issue, and have asked if we could buy the hotel it's own dumpster and Matt would curb it each week. Declined. A keylock entry to our main door was busted through a few times. It goes for months and we all get burglarized There's a communal restroom, people come in off the street and use it to fix themselves with drugs, leaving the paraphernalia behind. A violent ex-tenant was stalking his room mate ,threatened Matt and ultimately fought another tenant who was almost thrown down stairs. The plumbing, never been fixed in our room, we get cold water. We limit the amount of power outlets we use, or we get a strange buzz and the lights dim; we just figured- "that cant be good!". Matt's vocal about all of this and encouraged his dad to address these things to the landlords, while here in February. He did. everything was brought up. So last week, there was a break in at the bar that is located below us, Matt noticed abnormal things going on and alerted the bar manager, who also lives here. He checked down stairs and it was broken into, the register was full of money and was gone. Now out of no where one of the landlords has pinned Matt as his burglar since he was the first one to notice and tell someone, he's saying that we keep late hours, have friends over late who look suspicious. We have a friend who works a block away and lives in San Rafeal. His shift ends at 3am so one of us takes him home around 3:30-4am. We live on Broadway and Powell in San Francisco- We have to run out and move our truck at least by 4am so not to be ticketed. With yesterday being Wednesday, he's given us yesterday at 10am til Friday afternoon to vacate the place, and he doesn't trust Matt or his friends, and we aren't actual tenants. No discussion, he's changing locks to our and the main door, cops will be there to escort us if we refuse and if we try to contact the housing authority, he will evict Matt's father and toss our things in the gutter. The CSI guys were dusting prints today so we each volunteered ours to clear us. We are all friends in this building. Our neighbors all being supportive, which I'd think dispells his "problem" unit theory. Are we entitled to rights seeing as we have lived here a year? Everyone knows it and 2 days is out of the question to expect us to secure another residence; we're looking at sleeping in our truck! He told us they have the right since it is a hotel. His lawyers would beat us in court he assured us. Thanks for any direction for help you may know of. Sincerely, Allison G. Wright - Is this your question? Add additional information
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Answers (2)

Frances Miller Campbell

Frances Miller Campbell Avvo Pro

Contributor Level 7
Dear Ms. Wright,

Your landlord cannot just change the locks and escort you out because you are in a hotel. You have rights as a tenant. I am not familiar with the SF rent control ordinance, because I am in Los Angeles. However, per state law, you would have to be served with a valid eviction notice giving you 60 days to move out. I know that SF has tough rent control, and suspect that your landlord would need good cause to evict you, and could not give you a 60 day "no-cause" notice. Suspecting you of a crime is not "good cause." Even if the landlord had good cause to evict you, he will still need to serve you with a lawsuit and prove his case in court before getting an order for possession that would allow the Sheriff to evict you.

If your landlord tries to lock you out, call the police.
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William Joseph Kelly

William Joseph Kelly

Contributor Level 4
You are fortumate that yoiu are in a Rent Control environment, Contact the Rent Board at 25 Van Ness Avenue
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