Sandra shares personal eviction and landlord harassment story
Sandra, a 68-year-old rent-stabilized tenant, describes being evicted after her aunt died, paying full rent when SCRIE benefits were cut off, being locked out of her apartment after an emergency trip to Guyana, and receiving no help despite writing to the mayor and attending rent freeze events. Zhuang offers to connect her with legal assistance.
Hello, good afternoon.
My name is Sandra.
I'm living in a rent stabilized apartment.
I have 20 units for the past three and a half years.
I'm moving with my aunt on the 7th of July, November of 22.
Taking care of her.
But unfortunately, she went to Guyana for an application, and she died in 2023.
I went to the funeral.
When I came back, I took the lease to DCHR because at the set time, it wasn't expired to get some guidance on what to do.
I was told to write the management informing him about her death, and instead of he write the lease in her name, he would renew it into my name, and I must start paying the full rent, which is $822.30 because the government was paying $477.
11 for her.
I start paying the full rent in May of 2023.
The landlord refused to give me the lease.
He took me to court for all over.
Unfortunately, he went to his country in 2024 and he died.
The landlady for the building came from Grenada, take it over, took me back to court, and now she evicted me.
I had an emergency call to Guyana in the 13th of April.
And I left, before I left, on the 10th, I paid her rent for April and May.
April, March and April.
I came back on the 23rd of June and noticed a door that she locked me out, out of my apartment.
And the notice said, call the landlord immediately.
I did not call her because I returned about 2 a.m.
In the morning.
I left and I went to the friend asleep.
The next morning I went to the court.
The court brought my evidence, the plane ticket.
The passport, my ID that I'm 68 years of age, and the judge told me that I must remove my belongings by, I think it was July of 30th.
But no luck was changed by a marshal until now.
The landlord keep harassing me, telling me, come and remove my stuff out of the apartment you want to rent it.
We will follow up with you, maybe give you some legal assistance.
And I wrote the mayor on this matter on two different occasions.
I posted the mail by priority mail.
I went to three of his rent rip-off.
Nothing has been done.
I don't know because I talk about HRA claim that I had a heart transplant on the 4th of April 22, and I died the 9th.
The closed down HRA, the closed down the insurance.
We will get your information.
We'll follow up with you.
This is an individual case.
Thank you.
Yes, thank you.
Yeah.