Residents of an East Palo Alto apartment complex are expressing concerns about the safety of their building and communication with their property management after recent flooding waterlogged their apartments.
When storms hit on October 22, residents at the Woodland Park Apartments at 430 East O’Keefe Street said they began noticing water pouring into their homes.
Rachel Anderson, who has lived in that apartment complex for five years, said the issues escalated by October 23.
“The roof caved through — the roof that they’ve been fixin’ on for the last couple of months — so it finally caved through,” Anderson said.
“And when it came through, all the water was coming through, and it was coming through the walls,” she continued.
Tenants said this left their walls and floors soaked. The property owner vacated residents from their homes.
East Palo Alto Mayor Webster Lincoln said that the city red-tagged all 58 units in that building. He said that city crews have worked every day since on repairs. Now, more than a week later, Lincoln said that 50 of those units have now been cleared for residents to return to. Eight other units still need permitted repairs, and Lincoln said those repairs may take longer than a week to complete.
Some tenants said they’re worried about going back to their apartments, they expressed worries about a lingering odor, which they say smells like mold.
“If he thinks we’re [gonna] move back into this building because he came in here did some carpet cleaning, just patched up the walls, that’s not gonna work for me at all,” Rachel Anderson said of the property owner.
The mayor said he toured the building Thursday after the red tags came down and noticed a strong odor.
“I will be asking City staff to require moisture readings or air quality testing before residents move back,” he said.
While the units were red-tagged, the property owner put tenants up in hotel rooms. At first, the tenants said they were assigned to stay at a hotel in Palo Alto. But after the first few days, tenants said they were relocated to another hotel in San Mateo, which is a 14-mile, 19-minute drive away from their apartments.
Anderson said this distance is particularly difficult for the tenants who do not have cars and need to get to their jobs in Palo Alto.
Other tenants said that the extra cost of gas to drive to and from their jobs and their kids’ schools has been eating into their budgets for rent.
Tenants are being asked to pay rent like normal at the start of the month in November.
The mayor explained that technically, that is allowed under municipal code. He said that landlords must pay for temporary housing within 15 miles, plus moving and storage costs.
However, the mayor is now urging the property owner to do more.
“I am calling on Sand Hill to give residents a rent credit for the time they have been displaced,” Lincoln said.
“I also want a per diem for meals and travel, and housing closer to East Palo Alto so children can get to school and parents can get to work, ” he continued. “Residents also deserve clear, consistent communication about where they are going and when they can return.”
Roberto Arias, who lives at a Woodland Park apartment across the street managed by the same owner, said he wants to see his neighbor’s concerns taken seriously.
“Because these people pay a lot of rent for a damaged apartment, I really want to know whats going on, I hope the person who owns this building is looking at this interview, because you need to be here,” Arias said.
NBC Bay Area has reached out to the listed owners for this property, but we have not received a response yet.
The mayor added that any tenants who’ve been impacted by this can contact the City’s Community and Economic Development Department at CED@cityofepa.org or Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto at (650) 326-6440 for free help.
“Please do not sign anything that waives your relocation rights before getting advice,” Lincoln said.
