Court issues injunction against San Francisco landlords renting illegal, unsafe units to immigrants

San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu announced Wednesday that the city had won its lawsuit against two Ingleside Heights landlords he said were profiting from renting unsafe and illegal units to immigrants for years.

According to a release announcing the ruling by San Francisco Superior Court Judge Suzanne Ramos Bolanos, the defendants, Naim and Sana Jamali, own a 22-unit building on 333 Randolph Street, consisting of four residential units and 18 commercial basement storage units, and had been violating multiple state and city laws when they rented out the commercial and storage units as residential spaces.

In the ruling, the court issued a five-year injunction which will require the defendants to correct all outstanding code violations as well as create a plan that will legalize the units and protect the existing tenants.

"For years, these landlords put profit over the safety of their tenants," said Chiu said in a statement. "That behavior is unacceptable and illegal. We are pleased the Court agreed that the Defendants need to be held accountable and their code violations must be cured as soon as possible."

The owners were found to have been allowing at least 13 of these commercial spaces, which lack windows, to be rented as residences.

The city said it obtained leases showing the Jamali's were charging tenants thousands of dollars per month for these units.

A city inspection also found an inadequate electrical system. This caused the tenants to rely on using extension cords, which created fire risks, according to the city.

In addition, a lack of adequate fire escape routes, structural hazards, improper waste pipes, unpermitted kitchens and bathrooms, and a lack of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors were found during an inspection.

Several of the tenants in these units have also sued the defendants in the past. They alleged that the owners were targeting immigrants and that they were taken advantage of due to their lack of proficiency in English.

The court found the defendants were creating a public nuisance by violating a handful of codes and regulations, including state housing laws.

The court is expected to issue its statement of decision and judgment regarding how much the defendant must pay the city in penalties in February.