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VICKI: FOR THE TENANTS LIVING AT BELL OAKS APARTMENT, THEIR RENT IS A BLESSING HARD TO COME BY. >> FOR US WE’RE RIGHT NOW PAYING $930. >> WE HAVE THREE KIDS, WE FOUND THIS PLACE INITIALLY BECAUSE IT WAS THE CHEAPEST AROUND HERE. EVERYTHING AROUND HERE IS SO OVERLY PRICED. VICKI: BUT NOW, THEY’RE AFFORDABLE RENT COMES WITH AN EXPIRATION DATE. THESE RESIDENTS JUST RECEIVING A CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP, A NOTICE TO MOVE OUT FOR RENOVATIONS. >> WE HAVE SEVERAL PEOPLE HERE THAT ARE HANDICAP, PEOPLE ON FIXED INCOME, SECTION EIGHT HOUSING. VICKI: WHAT HAS BEEN RUNNING THROUGH YOUR MIND ABOUT WHAT YOU WILL DO? >> A TENT. I LIVE MONTH-TO-MONTH. I WENT IN AND SAT DOWN ON MY COUCH LOOKING AT THE NOTICE AND THE FLOOR THINKING, I MIGHT AS WELL SHOOT MYSELF NOW. VICK THE TERMINATION LETTER VARYING FROM 60 DAYS TO 90 DAYS TO MOVE OUT. >> MOST OF US ARE ACTUALLY BEING TOLD WE HAVE TO BE OUT IF NOT BY THANKSGIVING, THEN BY CHRISTMAS. VICKI: TENANTS LIKE WILLIAM BARNETT ARE FEARING THE WORST. >> I WILL BE BACK IN THE STREETS AGAI. I AM 72 YEARS OLD. I AM A VETERAN. VICKI: YOU SAID YOU HAVE LIVED ON THE STREETS BEFORE? >> YES. IT’S TERRIBLE. VICKI: HOW LONG? >> A YEAR. VICKI: THE CALIFORNIA APARTMENT ASSOCIATION REPRESENTS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PROPERTY OWNERS, EXPLAINING WHAT IS HAPPENING IN LEGAL -- IS LEGAL. IN MAYBE -- IN MANY NEIGHBORHOODS THERE ARE APARTMENT COMMUNITIES THAT ARE DECADES OLD AND ARE IN NEED OF UPGRADING. VICKI: ULTIMATELY A SYMPTOM OF A CHRONIC HOUSING SHORTAGE. >> THERE IS A SHORTAGE OF HOUSING. ONE OF OUR CONCERNS WITH SOME OF THE NEW STATE LAWS AND ORDINANCES ARE NOT HELPING US SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THAT IS THAT WHEN HE TO INCREASE THE SUPPLY OF HOUSING. VICKI: BUT THE TENANTS OF BELL OAKS ARE JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE NEXT ROOF OVER THEIR HEADS. >> MY SOCIAL SECURITY CHECK IS $47 MORE THAN THE RENT I AM PAYING NOW. >> THEY CAN DO WHATEVER THEY WANT, THE LANDLORDS, BUT WHERE WILL I GO? VICK WE WERE ABLE TO FIND THE FORMER APARTMENT OWNER. THEY SOLD IT EARLIER THIS YEAR. THE CURRENT MANAGEMENT COMPANY HAS NOT RETURNED OUR REQUEST FOR COMMENTS. TENANTS TELL US THEY CAN MOVE BACK AND ONCE RENOVATIONS ARE COMPLETED AT AROUND $400 MORE A MONTH AND WOULD STILL HAVE TO FIND ANOTHER PLACE TO LIVE IN THE TIME BEING. ED

Advertisement Sacramento County renters told to move out before Christmas Apartment owners hand out termination notices in order to make renovations Share Shares Copy Link Copy

For tenants at Bell Oaks Apartment in Sacramento County, monthly rent is a blessing hard to come by. But now, it comes with an expiration date. The apartment complex changed ownership and the new property managers issued termination of tenancy notices of either 60 or 90 days. “For us, we’re right now paying $930,” said Michael Monahan, who is renting a two-bedroom unit with his wife. “They’re pulling a Scrooge moment because most of us are actually being told we have to be out, if not by Thanksgiving, then by Christmas.”Tenants said when they reached out to the new management company, listed as BLR Commercial, they were told the notices were issued so that renovations could be made to the property. “There’s no way I can pay first and last month’s rent, security deposit, and another pet deposit,” said tenant Debbie Stollery. “A lot of the people in here are month-to-month.” Tenants also said the management company said they would have first right of refusal once the renovations are completed, but the rent would be higher. “I was told (Monday) that we would have first option to rerent. Unfortunately, my rent would go up $400 a month,” Stollery said. “My Social Security check is $47 more than the rent I am paying now -- and $47 doesn’t cover a $400 increase in rent.”KCRA3 couldn’t reach BLR Commercial for comment, but the former property owner said they sold the apartment earlier this year. The tenants who were issued the notices have lived on the property for years -- and some for decades. They currently are paying month-to-month. The California Apartment Association, which represents roughly 50,000 properties across the state, explained that for month-to-month tenants, the termination of tenancy is legal -- a 30-day notice for tenants residing for less than a year, 60 days for more than a year and 90 days for those on housing assistance, such as Housing Choice Vouchers, also known as Section 8. “There is a shortage of housing,” said CAA Senior Vice President Jim Lofgren. “One of our concerns is some of the new state laws and local ordinances isn’t helping to solve the problem -- and that is we need to increase the supply of housing.”Lofgren especially highlighted AB 1482, which would allow a rent cap and outlines just-cause eviction. The law is currently on Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk.CAA argues it is creating an unintended consequence: disincentivizing property owners to develop more rental units. “I think the game changer is the passage of statewide rent control and we’re starting to see the impact upon that,” Lofgren said. “Under that environment, there are going to be changes in how owners operate, and we also are seeing a lot of owners deciding to leave the industry and invest elsewhere.”The tenants at Bell Oaks said their focus is simply finding the next affordable roof over their head. “I’ll go back on the streets again. Oh besides that, I’m 72 years old and I’m a veteran,” said tenant William Barnett. “They could do whatever they want, the landlords, but I’m thinking about myself -- where am I going to go?”