Statement from HRCSF on recent claims from Veritas Investments

Press Release:
Housing Rights Committee of SF (HRCSF) http://hrcsf.org/ :

Solidarity over Fear!

Statement from HRCSF on recent claims from Veritas Investments

We stand with tenants in urging Veritas to pause all 76 sales & pledge to talk with the City and impacted tenants. Contact Supes to join the effort! (info below).

January 28, 2020

*** PLEASE SHARE FAR AND WIDE ***

In over 40 years of tenants’ rights work in San Francisco, Housing Rights Committee of SF (HRCSF) has learned that tenants feel safest during times of uncertainty by talking with their neighbors and with local tenants’ rights organizations.

HRCSF practices that knowledge everyday. When a building comes up for sale, tenants always have questions and worries. We organize with tenants to replace that uncertainty with solidarity -- the feeling that you’re not alone and that you and your neighbors are stronger together, especially when that sale involves more than 2,000 households.

To be clear, Veritas Investments / Greentree Porperty Management / RentSFNow has chosen to mislead tenants, spread misinformation, and incite fear by making false claims about what data became available. Tenants’ names, emails, and phone numbers have not been disclosed. We only receive names and contact information when tenants join HRCSF, come into a counseling clinic, or otherwise get involved in tenants’ rights work.

Veritas is trying to distract tenants from an important and stressful moment -- the sale of their home -- with inflammatory messages about a "data breach". A majority of District Supervisors have called on Veritas to pause all 76 sales and commit to negotiations with Supervisors. According to Supervisor Dean Preston who hosted Monday’s press conference these negotiations could include:

- A meaningful opportunity to explore the purchase of some or all of the 76 buildings by the City, qualified nonprofits, or the SF Community Land Trust

- Protections for tenants to ensure their long-term housing stability during and after the sale

- Screening of potential buyers based on their track record as landlords

- Breaking up the corporate portfolio so that it does not simply go from one mega-owner to the next.

HRCSF believes these historic negotiations will be much more fruitful for San Francisco than falsehoods, fear, and distraction. We have received many messages from concerned tenants, and we will continue to organize with tenant leaders to make these 76 buildings permanently affordable and secure.

Contact the Supervisors Below

Urge them to stand with Veritas tenants in telling the company to pause all 76 building sales and pledge to talk with the City and impacted tenants.

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman: Rafael.Mandelman [at] sfgov.org; 415-554-6968

Supervisor Norman Yee: Norman.Yee [at] sfgov.org; (415) 554-6516

Supervisor Ahsha Safai: Ahsha.Safai [at] sfgov.org; (415) 554-6975

Supervisor Catherine Stefani: Catherine.Stefani [at] sfgov.org; (415) 554-7752

Issue:
Veritas is selling 76 of their buildings, comprising over 2,000 units of rent-controlled housing. Will you stand with Veritas tenants in urging their landlord Veritas Investments to pause the sales and negotiate with the City and impacted tenants? We don't want to see these homes go to another speculator who's business model is to flip the units using various tactics, including harassement, renoviction and unnecessary passthrough rent increases, in order to bring them to market rate, which undermines their affordability.

People Over Profit! Housing Is A Human Right!

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