CW Nevius has an article online today about the eviction of elderly tenants from their San Francisco apartments. I'd encourage you to read the article, it's pretty much a perfect illustration of why tenant advocates in San Francisco hate the creation of tenancy-in-common units, which some see as the most realistic option for the creation of affordable owner-occupied housing in San Francisco.
The apartment building in question is in the 500 block of Greenwich, and in what can only be described as a big-middle-finger to tenants everywhere is listed in the public tax records as being owned by "SF Affordable Housing LLC" - a quick search at the secretary of state website reveals that the "Agent for Service of Process" is listed as Peter Iskandar. I'm going to step out on a limb and say that this is most likely the same Peter Iskandar as mentioned in the Chronicle article, especially since the company shares a mailing address with another property that is listed as being owned by Mr. Iskandar.
Further research shows that "SF Affordable Housing LLC" purchased the building by being the successful over-bidder in a probate sale, with the deal closing for $1,733,000 in March of 2010.
In the article, the attorney for Mr. Iskandar claims that generous buyout options were offered to the tenants, and they countered with outrageous demands. And given the way SF tenant law is structured, all of this seems very believable. I have no idea what "SF Affordable Housing LLC" considers generous or outrageous, though, so I'll let you come to conclusions on that yourself.
For what it's worth, the San Francisco real estate brokerage firm of which I am a member has a policy prohibiting the representation of sellers like "SF Affordable Housing LLC." So we aren't all evil. For what that's worth.
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