San Francisco City Attorney orders Chinatown SRO owners to pay $810K over unsafe units
The owners of three single room occupancy (SRO) hotels in San Francisco's Chinatown have been ordered to pay over $800,000 and must make repairs to settle a lawsuit over health and safety violations, officials said.
City Attorney David Chiu announced Tuesday
the settlement agreement
involving Jeff Appenrodt, Shailendra Devdhara, Kamlesh Patel and five of their companies. The three own SRO hotels at 1449 Powell Street, 790 Vallejo Street and 912 Jackson Street.
Chiu had sued the owners of the properties, which contain 85 authorized rooms, in 2023.
"Let this be a lesson to all landlords who profit off of the suffering of their tenants,"
Chiu said in a statement
. "In San Francisco, there are consequences for depriving tenants of a safe and healthy place to live."
Officials said multiple city departments have issued notices of violation on the properties since 2018 for health, safety and building violations. The owners also illegally converted, combined or added unauthorized SRO rooms.
Violations listed by the City Attorney's Office include unpermitted work, broken plumbing, exposed wiring, insect and rodent infestations, mold and mildew and unsanitary shared restrooms. Inspectors also issued violation notices for lack of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, insufficient emergency exits, along with damaged paint with lead risks.
"This settlement demonstrates San Francisco's commitment to protecting tenants and our willingness to use all available means to pursue landlords who have allowed their buildings to deteriorate into an unsafe condition," said Patrick O'Riordan, director of the city's Department of Building Inspection.
Chiu said the owners of the Powell Street property must pay $780,000 in civil penalties and abate the four remaining notices of violation at the property.
Patel, who purchased the Vallejo Street and Jackson Street properties in 2023 and is not involved with the Powell Street property, was ordered to pay $30,000.
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