On April 8, a fire that began in an allegedly faultily wired dryer at 517-519 Bartlett Street left the two-unit building uninhabitable, though no one was injured. Capp Street Crap reports that three former tenants have filed suit in San Francisco County Superior Court against landlord Steven Silver. In their May 22 complaint, former tenants Erma Kyriakos, Judy Ordonez, and Brian Roper describe conditions ranging from mold and vermin to electrical systems and wiring that were improperly maintained. They're seeking damages of at least $25,000.
Silver has denied the allegations, and he responded with a counter-complaint on June 22, claiming, among other things, that he did not own or install the dryer blamed for starting the fire and was thus not responsible for it. He blamed the fire on "overheating and/or excessive lint accumulation," not bad wiring. Further, Silver's counter-complaint says, Kyriakos, Ordonez, and Roper "knew or should have known that the dryer was in a dangerous condition given the loud grinding and banging noises it was making."
The former tenants also allege that Kyriakos's unit, two rooms in the basement, were rented to her as an illegal unit under false pretenses.
The suit also contains a litany of other unpleasant allegations, writes Capp Street Crap:
According to the plaintiffs, parts of the building also had no heating source; it had no smoke detectors or carbon monoxide sensors and was plagued with mold and vermin problems including cockroaches. At times, there was either no hot water or brown water. · Two-Alarm Fire Breaks out at 26th and Bartlett [Mission Local]
· Bartlett Street Fire Victims Suing Former Landlord [Capp Street Crap]
Loading comments...