HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-05-2015 PH1 Bardinelli (2)Lomeli, Monique
Subject: FW: IMPORTANT: Student Account of SLO Landlord Injustice
COUNCIL MEETING:
ITEM NO.: P+4
From: oriana bardinelli [ mailto :orianabardinelli@yahoo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 05, 2015 10:37 PM
Cc: Marx, Jan; Ashbaugh, John; Carpenter, Dan; Christianson, Carlyn; Rivoire, Dan; Mejia, Anthony
Subject: Re: IMPORTANT: Student Account of SLO Landlord Injustice
I greatly thank you for your time and consideration this evening. I appreciate your time and efforts
regarding student housing rights as it is a vital issue for our community. I fully support and agree with the
views expressed by each of the council members this evening and look forward to any future
communication.
Sincerely,
Oriana Bardinelli
Senior, Cal Poly University
RECEIVED
MAY 0 6 2015
SILO UTY C:[.� R1K
On Monday, May 4, 2015 4:40 PM, oriana bardinelli <oriana bard inelli(a yahoo.com> wrote:
Hello City Council Members,
My name is Oriana Bardinelli and I am a Cal Poly student. I am writing you today in hopes of sharing my
perspective as a semi - permanent resident of this community and as a tenant who has been ignored by her
local landlords.
I could share countless stories of mistreatment and power abuse regarding SLO landlords. I have seen and
heard many accounts from my peers where our property rights are clearly being neglected for the financial
profit of the home owner.
Take for instance the "baseball" satellite residence on Meinecke Ave. The home has been inhabited by Poly
Athletes for over the last ten years, but was clearly in need of being torn down. Baseboards were rotting
on the front patio, the main master bedroom featured a closet built from an old out door balcony, which
eventually collapsed, as well as years of mold build up underneath every carpet in the home. When my
friend's father, a successful contractor from Northern California came to move his son in, he refused to let
any of the tenants even step foot in the house. Claiming the home needed to be condemned, he said "it
was the worst case of deterioration" he had seen in over 20+ professional years.
My own experiences have been less health hazardous but are not insignificant. The home in which my
boyfriend and I live is managed by a rental company here in town for landlords who are also still in the
area. We have made many attempts to contact the rental company since our move in for a number of
reasons they have yet to address.
When we moved in, we were promised remaining construction debris from where the landlord had torn
down the garage before our move in would be removed. We are now 9 months into our lease and the
debris is still in our backyard. This is extremely dangerous, as there are fragments of glass as well as
rusty nails and large metal pieces.
We also have a serious ant infestation. We have bought a number of products, none successful, to deal
with the problem ourselves but have had little help from our landlord or the property manager in the
matter. They sent out a company to spray the house once, but this was a temporary fix, as now almost 2
months after the initial spraying, there are still colonies of ants breaking into our home.
We also have been accused of damages which were listed prior to our move in on previous tenant's
accounts of the state of the home.
Our home is beyond fixing in many areas with blatant cracks, broken seals and aesthetic eye sores all
over the property. Our landlord has already expressed interest in not returning our deposit, which is
infuriating, as they have been out of touch and un- compliant in helping us maintain the home.
Like I said, this account is one of many shared and expressed by students. Though we are not permanent
residents, we still are tax - paying, vibrant minds in our community. Our voices must be heard on this
issue, as many of us are living in "slum /ghetto" conditions.
The owners and rental companies that manage these properties are profiting off of exploiting students
who are too nervous to upset their living situation. These same people are also your neighbors, perhaps
co- workers, and even friends, it is important that they revise their business ethics and accommodate the
safety of their tenants.
I urge you to please consider the state of the homes that many students are living in and vote on behalf
of fairer conditions for our residences tomorrow evening when the City Council addresses the Residence
Inspection Ordinance. It would protect the integrity and safety of all homes and members of our
community.
Sincerely,
Oriana Bardinelli
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