Koreatown, Highland Park tenants in rent-controlled apartments are suing building owner
Tenants have reported these issues to the city and inspectors have posted order to comply notices.
Renters in East Hollywood, Koreatown and Highland Park say they were happy with where they lived until their buildings were recently bought by real estate company K3 Holdings.
"We now have no one to call if we get locked out, if we have a pipe burst, anything," said Kate Doyle, an East Hollywood Tenant.
Laurie Wexler has lived in her Koreatown building for 16 years. According to Wexler, the elevator has not been fully functioning since July. She's disabled and lives on the third floor.
"They never fixed the elevator properly, they never did. They just let it go," said Wexler.
Brielle O'Connor is a K3 Holdings tenant in Koreatown. She says her building used to be cleaned weekly. But under new management, it's now cleaned monthly.
"We have tenants who have maggots on the floor, mold, cracks in our ceilings, leaks. No trash is being picked up," said O'Connor.
Tenants have reported these issues to the city and inspectors have posted order to comply notices.
Highland Park tenant Alma Angel has lived in her K3 Holdings building for 25 years. She's dealing with toxic black mold according to a mold inspection report and says management has yet to fix this.
"There was mold in the bedroom, the living room and in the bathroom. All they did was spray some liquid over it," said Angel.
Angel is one of 16 tenants that have filed a lawsuit against K3 Holdings.
"For a really long time they've tried to take out families of color, like Latino families, to bring in white families that will pay more," said Angel.
An attorney representing these tenants says many of them don't fully understand their rights and are vulnerable.
"Based on their practices, they've mostly targeted Latinx tenants. Mostly immigrant tenants, working class tenants," said Attorney Claudia Medina.
ABC7 reached out to K3 Holdings about these allegations and they gave us this statement:
"K3 Holdings acquired these buildings six to eight weeks ago, so much of what's being discussed took place long before we became owners. Still, we understand we are responsible for maintenance and services to residents, and we look forward to earning their trust.
Our team is committed to the community and remains eager to serve residents thoroughly and with respect. Residents are encouraged to email management at support@k3holdings.com with any concerns. We are committed to ensuring that any issues are resolved promptly."
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