Oakland landlords rip off renters with high rents in high crime areas

Oakland landlords rip off renters with high rents in high crime areas

By Lynda Carson - August 16, 2016

Oakland — Just imagine being desperate enough that you are enticed or tricked into paying a fortune in rent every month to some slick talking landlord for an apartment that may have mice, rats, bed bugs, or cock roaches, in a high crime area.

In Oakland, many landlords believe that they have a license to steal, just because they have a permit to rent apartments in a residential rental building. Many rental units in Oakland may be found within a one mile radius of a high crime area including murders, shootings, rape, burglary, larceny, assaults, robbery, arson, motor vehicle theft, and fraud.

Welcome to Oakland, the city of high rents, greedy landlords, and slumlords.

According a recent report from Zumper rents in Oakland are the fifth highest in the nation with one bedroom prices rising 11.6% on the year to $2,210 per month, and two bedrooms rising 13.8% on the year to $2,730 per month to rent. Rents in Oakland have been rising, but are still behind San Francisco, New York, NY, Boston, and San Jose, and in one recent report it details how much tenants must earn to live in high rent areas of our nation, where landlord greed is totally out of control.

Can you possibly imagine who may be desperate enough to pay $1,450 for a small studio apartment near Foothill BLVD, and Seminary Ave, in Oakland? The locals call Seminary Ave, Cemetery Ave, because there are so many shootings that occur along that street through the years.

Feel free to ask yourself who in the world is dumb enough to pay $2,340 for a small studio apartment at 1389 Jefferson St., in Oakland, to a greedy landlord, in a high crime area that lacks any nearby stores within walking distance, such as Safeway or Lucky grocers, to buy groceries in.

Then you can wonder who the desperate folks are that may be convinced or tricked into to paying $3,946 for a two bedroom apartment at The Landing, at 101 Embarcadero West in Oakland, which is far in walking distance from any grocery stores, including Safeway or Lucky grocers.

As P.T. Barnum used to say, there is a sucker born every minute, and you have to ask yourself how many suckers are standing in line to pay $1,595 per month for a studio apartment near 14th St. and Jackson, or $2,295 per month for a junior one bedroom apartment at 414 Grand Ave? How many suckers are willing to be bamboozled out of $2,432 a month for a junior one bedroom apartment near Broadway and 19th St., at 600 William St, while Oakland is still recognized as being such a high crime area?

During 2010-2014, according to a government census report the median household income in Oakland was $52,962, in addition to 21% of the population living in poverty, which means that most people in Oakland cannot afford to live in the rental units provided by greedy landlords. Especially, some of the landlords who have no qualms about ripping off the tenants with extreme high rents, or placing them in danger.

Massive rent increases in the least expensive rental markets and apartments reveal why the Costa Hawkins law needs to be abolished in California. Additionally, there is a real need for strong renter protections including real rent control, and just cause eviction protections to help stabilize families, and our communities. In contrast, most landlord supported rental protections and so-called renter protections being promoted by the City Council of Alameda and Mountain View, are too weak to protect families from escalating high rents, and displacement of families from their apartments, due to no-cause evictions.

According to one recent report from Zillow, “The majority of all new construction built since 2014 has been at the top of the market in large markets analyzed by Zillow. The lack of supply among the least expensive third of rental homes and overall strong demand for rentals is driving up rents. Rents among the cheapest apartments are outpacing the growth of the entire rental market in 15 major markets analyzed by Zillow. Over the past year, 11 of the 15 housing markets in Zillow’s analysis saw double-digit rent appreciation among low-end apartments. As with most things in economics, the explanation for the differences in appreciation among bottom- and top-tier apartment rents boils down to supply and demand. Demand for lower-end rentals has been booming at the same time as new supply has been slow to materialize.”

As much as the landlords and the California Apartment Association may try to hoodwink the public into believing that renter protections are bad, the evidence in the Zumper report revealing that rents in Oakland are the fifth highest in the nation, clearly demonstrates the need to abolish the Costa Hawkins law, in addition to the need for strong renter protections including real rent control, and just cause eviction protections to help stabilize families, and our communities.

Further evidence of a need for renter protections including strong rent control and just cause eviction protections, may be found with the National Low-Income Housing Coalition in a recent report on how affordable housing is out of reach, for many American workers.

Renter protections are on the ballot in 6 cities in November. Tenant advocates across the Bay Area are urging renters to vote on strong renter protections during the upcoming November elections in the cities of Oakland, Richmond, Alameda, Burlingame, San Mateo, and Mountain View. The activists are also urging people to vote against any weak proposals placed on the ballot by the City Council in Alameda, and Mountain View.

Lynda Carson may be reached at tenantsrule [at] yahoo.com

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