Five-week campaign beats back predatory landlord

Maria and her family lived in a building that had water seeping into the walls, causing huge amounts of black mold to grow. Maria, who cleans houses for a living, kept wiping the mold away, but almost immediately it would grow back again. She reported the problem to the landlord, a company that owns several large properties in Seattle. Instead of dealing with the problem, the head of property management dismissed Maria's concerns and insulted her about her poor English. Maria's kids started getting sick and having to go to the hospital with respiratory problems.

At this point, Maria decided they had to get out of that building. She gave notice to the company that they were moving. It was 15 days from the end of the month, instead of the customary 20 days notice, but the landlord gave no indication that it would be a problem if they went ahead and moved, so they did. A few weeks later, the company sent Maria a letter. It said that she owed them a full month's rent ($800) for the month after she had moved out, that they were keeping her entire deposit, and that they were charging her an additional $700 in mysterious fees. If she didn't pay them $1500, her credit and rental history could be ruined.

Unable to pay and unwilling to submit to this, Maria joined Seattle Solidarity Network (a.k.a. "SeaSol", www.seasol.net) and asked for support.  Soon after, she walked into the company's office together with 30 other people and confronted the head of property management with her and SeaSol's demands: formally cancel the entire $1500 in alleged debt, and return the deposit in full.

When the company refused, SeaSol started an escalating action campaign. Maria and other SeaSol'ers went door-to-door talking with the company's other tenants about their rights and warning them about landlord abuses. All around the company's properties where units were advertised "for rent", dozens of posters went up that warned potential renters about the problems they'd face from this landlord and especially about the abusive property management boss. Week after week the company tore the posters down, and SeaSol put them up again. Picketers stood outside the office and handed out copies of the many negative online reviews from former tenants, many of them referring to the horrible property management boss. SeaSol began planning a group visit to the owner's upscale neighborhood to discuss the issue with the slumlord's neighbors, and distributed introductory letters letting them know we'd be dropping by soon.

Finally the owner decided he had had enough. On Monday, June 21st 2010, Maria received a signed agreement canceling all $1500 in charges, along with a check for her entire deposit. Meanwhile, tenants who called the office heard some exciting news on the company's voice mail recording: the head of property management would longer be employed there.