"Mold, flooding, and barely functioning heaters have plagued a Berkeley building housing low-income students, and owners are scrambling to sell or find a way to manage $9 million in repairs the apartment complex needs. City inspections confirm tenants' complaints that living in Evans Manor, owned by the Berkeley Student Cooperative, the largest student housing cooperative nationwide, presents a host of health concerns."
"Housed in one of the units with the highest mold counts, Brenda Arjona, 39, a San Francisco State professor, was several months pregnant when the report was released. I've been really anxious. It really takes away my sleep at night to not know what's going to happen, said Arjona. She was moved to a temporary space, unsure when she can return to her unit. So it worked out that we're not over there, but it was a very stressful situation."
"The Berkeley Student Cooperative, a nonprofit housing 1,300 students in 17 houses and three apartment buildings, including Evans Manor, near UC Berkeley, regained control of the building after a 35-year sublease ended in April. The group that held the lease, Victoria Associates, failed to maintain the building, leading to the current problems, and didn't respond to requests for comment."
Evans Manor suffers from mold, flooding, and poorly functioning heaters that have created health and safety concerns for about 50 tenants, many of them students. A private inspection found multiple mold strains, including black mold, in units and common areas. One tenant, Brenda Arjona, was relocated from a high-mold unit while pregnant and described significant anxiety and sleep loss. The Berkeley Student Cooperative regained control after a 35-year sublease ended, finding the previous leaseholder, Victoria Associates, failed to maintain the building. Potential buyers estimate $9 million in needed repairs, and the cooperative is spending thousands monthly on emergency expenses while a sale fell through.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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