A tenant has uncovered what she claims is a scheme from a billion-dollar real estate corporation that’s intentionally making a rent-stabilized property inhabitable for current residents.
User Lauren (@keep_calm_make_art) posted footage of the dismal living conditions in a viral TikTok that delineates a series of shocking finds: pests crawling through the building, flooding in random locations, leaking roofs, undrained water, and an elevator which also gets stuck in between floors.
@keep_calm_make_art LA landlord neglects building to pressure people to move out so they can raise the rents #renterproblems #landlordsfromhell #rentershaverights #Nazarians #omninet ♬ The Home Depot Beat – The Home Depot
Lauren sets the scene of her initial TikTok by showing an area of her Los Angeles-based building that’s littered with debris.
“So our landlord is neglecting our building to pressure people to leave so they can raise the rent a shit-ton because it’s a rent-controlled building,” she says at the beginning of the viral clip.
According to the City of Los Angeles, some rental units are subject to Rent Stabilization Ordinances, which regulate the amount of rent a property owner can charge/increase. Presumably, new tenants will bring new lease terms, which means that the property owners can issue higher rental rates for them.
Lauren continues to show the neglected property throughout her clip, which includes bugs and bees buzzing about, a boiler system she claims has mold, and an elevator she says hasn’t been inspected in a while. She adds that the power in her unit “was out for like 10 days,” before ending the video with an image of a dead cockroach on the ground.
She writes in a caption for the clip, “LA landlord neglects building to pressure people to move out so they can raise the rents.”
According to Lloyd Pest Control, a California-based pest extermination business, it is usually a landlord’s obligation to manage pest infestations in the buildings they own, so long as it isn’t proven that a tenant is responsible for said infestation.
Landlords must also ensure that buildings are up-to-code and are legally defined as habitable, so Lauren and other tenants who dwell in the structure may provide a claim against the landlord or withhold their rent until these issues are remedied.
Lauren chronicled other issues in her building with a series of follow-up clips. In one of them, she shows the elevator getting stuck midway between floors, along with a series of leaks along with flooding in the laundry room.
“In 2021 our building was purchased by wealthy billionaires and they have been purchasing buildings around our neighborhood and running the scam of trying to get out working-class tenants all over,” Lauren says.
She then provides a screenshot of the company she’s referring to: Omninet Capital. The company describes itself on its website as “an experienced real estate operator and owner of over 10 million square feet of commercial space,” before adding that its “property management team consistently provides first-class customer service” while “seek[ing] ways to reduce tenancy costs.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Lauren via TikTok comment and Omninet Capital via email.
TikTokers urged Lauren to bring the matter to her city’s housing division. “Make sure u use the word inhabitable when you speak with the city,” one commenter wrote.
@keep_calm_make_art @thenormandietenants Replying to @lovelyrj619 #renterproblems #landlordsfromhell #rentershaverights #Nazarians #omninet ♬ Mii! – VooDoo
Someone else penned, “I know this sounds cliche but try reaching out to all your gov representatives offices. From city council all the way to state senator.”
Another urged her to stop paying her rent, writing, “don’t pay rent put it in an account at the bank until everything is fixed that’s legal.”
In another video, Lauren says that both she and her fellow tenants are still in the process of attempting to reach out to council people, code enforcement agents, along with their local housing and health departments.
@keep_calm_make_art @normandietenants Replying to @keep_calm_make_art #rentershaverights #landlordsfromhell #omninet #Nazarians ♬ original sound – TheLaurenFreedman
To top it all off, Lauren also mentions that the building’s front door isn’t a reliable door, meaning that tenants can’t always leave when they want to as it gets stuck. She says it presents a “huge fire hazard,” especially combined with the property’s “broken smoke detectors.”
