San Francisco landlord sued by city, accused of renting out unsafe, unpermitted units

A San Francisco property owner is being accused of operating as a slumlord in a lawsuit filed by the city alleging unsanitary and unpermitted residences at a property in the Bayview District.

Rafael Garcia Sanchez is accused of neglecting to correct a litany of violations dating back to when he acquired the property at 1465 Oakdale Ave. in 2015, including infestations of rodents and cockroaches, unsafe conditions, unpermitted residences and other violations.

Sanchez was allegedly still collecting rents between $800 and $2,000 a month from tenants totaling $9,300 a month, despite warnings and violation notices from the city over the past near decade that most of the units in the single-family residence were illegal and various fire safety violations endangered tenants, according to the lawsuit filed by San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu.

"In this situation, greed overpowered basic human decency at the expense of tenants," Chiu said in a statement. "Landlords are responsible for providing a safe and healthy place for tenants to live. But this property owner created conditions that are illegal, hazardous, and categorically deplorable. We are filing this lawsuit to bring accountability and cure the many health and safety issues at this property."

A request for comment from an agent listed for Sanchez at building inspection hearings was not immediately returned.

The property already had multiple notices of violation when Sanchez purchased it in May 2015. Some of those were corrected while others accumulated, including deteriorating walls, a lack of fireproofing and escape routes, no smoke or carbon monoxide detectors, and unpermitted kitchens and construction.

Unsafe electrical wiring, mold, trash, and signs of rodents and cockroaches were found during inspections and instructions on mitigating future problems were ignored, according to the lawsuit.

A total of 13 violations remained outstanding as of Thursday.

The 2,400-square-foot, 3-bedroom property houses 15 people, including three minors, according to Chiu.

The suit seeks penalties, fees and injunctive relief to force a resolution of the violations. It also names five unidentified co-defendants whose names Chiu said the city has been unable to confirm.