Some of the dozens of residents displaced in a Dec. 12 building fire in the Tenderloin were told on Sunday that if they do not claim their items within the next two weeks, the company may sell off anything of value.
Copies of a “notice of disposal of personal property left in unit after fire,” obtained by Mission Local, informed residents of 50 Golden Gate Ave. that if the resale value of any items recovered in the units is under $700, they may be tossed.
But, the notice from landlord Mosser Companies continued, “if the value exceeds $700, they may be sold at public auction.” Instructions on “how to claim your property” lists a contact phone number that is missing a digit.
“I’m just thinking, like, so you profit off of that?!” asked Rachel Amalia, 58, one of the residents who was displaced. “Something about that just seems so callous and wrong.”
Residents like Amalia have had few opportunities to return for their belongings even before the Sunday notice, which cited a California civil code about property left behind after a tenancy ends. Many of those who have returned discovered valuables like cash, electronics, and Social Security cards were missing.
What’s more, five residents told Mission Local that Mosser has not refunded them and other residents who paid rent in December, the month of the fire.
Over 60 apartments at the six-story residential building were evacuated after the fire, which Mission Local first reported appeared on surveillance video to be caused by an explosion on the sixth floor in the middle of the night. The exact number of residents displaced is unclear as many units had whole families living in them.
Most of those residents landed at hotels that were paid for by Mosser until Jan. 9, when residents either had to sign new leases at smaller apartments the landlord offered — or find their own place to stay.
In a list of demands issued on Tuesday, residents of 36 units at the building called for an immediate refund of their December rent and asked the company to correct an online portal showing tenants still owe rent in January, even though the building has been vacant for over a month.
Mosser did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In a group statement on Monday, building resident Hugh Leeman wrote that Mosser has shown a “pattern of obstruction, misinformation, and undue pressure placed on fire-displaced residents during a period of extreme vulnerability.”
Between Dec. 12 and Jan. 9, residents were given several deadlines to vacate their hotel rooms, only to have their stays extended at the last moment. The process, residents like Amalia say, felt “stressful and chaotic.”
Two weeks ago, when Mosser began offering residents “supervised” visits to the building to retrieve their belongings, Leeman said his unit was missing two laptops, an iPad, and his Social Security card. A fraudulent check written in his name was subsequently reimbursed by his bank.
Leeman had the means to move into a new apartment, and is eating the loss of his valuables, but said it’s “heartbreaking” to see his former neighbors’ struggles.
Romana, a Filipina immigrant who lived at 50 Golden Gate for nearly 18 years, said she had been so overwhelmed with the upheaval that she had not had the capacity to apply for the new housing options. She asked for a hotel placement in the days after the fire, but never received one.
Now, she is staying at her nephew’s house in the East Bay, commuting two hours each way to San Francisco, where she works at Zara.
“I’m always tired right now,” Romana said. “I have to wake up early. I lost weight, actually. Sometimes, I cry.”