After $200,000 ruling, East Palo Alto tenants press former landlord to drop appeal

"A hearing officer for the rent stabilization board found repeated failures at three 1960s-era Woodland Park buildings on East O'Keefe Street. Investigators documented that flooding in the parking area from leaky pipes has persisted since at least 2023, while a malfunctioning security gate posed a safety risk. Officers also found evidence of severe rat and cockroach infestations and unreasonable delays in repairing common-area plumbing and leaking pipes."

"The protest comes over a year after this news organization visited the complex to document tenants' complaints. We were awarded about $200,000, but the money has not been paid to us, said Maggie Pande, a Woodland Park tenant and organizer. They appealed the case, and they have not given us the rent rebate award. Frustrated by the delay, tenants and their supporters brought their demands directly to the company's office."

Tenants at a large East Palo Alto apartment complex are pressing the property's former owner to drop its appeal of a rent-stabilization board ruling that awarded more than $200,000 in rent rebates for persistent maintenance failures. The landlord, Sand Hill Property Company, appealed the decision, delaying payment. A hearing officer found repeated failures at three 1960s-era Woodland Park buildings, documenting parking-area flooding from leaky pipes, a malfunctioning security gate, severe rat and cockroach infestations, and unreasonable delays in repairing common-area plumbing. Tenants and community allies staged a protest, delivering a letter demanding payment and action.

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