Veritas Investments Inc. claims to be San Francisco’s largest landlord. It says it owns more than 230 rent-controlled buildings, many that were purchased from the infamous Lembi Group, the city’s previous king of landlords that wound up bankrupt after the 2008 housing bust.
Veritas tenants have sued the $3 billion corporation, accusing it of trying to boost profits by renovating vacated units for newcomers — overwhelmingly “young techies” from out of state, the CEO has said — while neglecting longtime renters’ living conditions. Veritas denies the allegations, saying that it responds to tenant complaints quickly and that the work is needed to preserve and enhance these aging structures.
It is difficult to vet many of these claims. But by layering various types of public records and analyzing the results we were able to discover a rise in tenant complaints, as well as building-code violations, after Veritas bought the properties connected to the lawsuit.
Our reporting is ongoing. For the latest, see our forthcoming spring 2019 print edition, which will be available at select retail outlets. Online posting will follow.
SF Tenants Set to Gain New Powers in Negotiations With Landlords
Tenants across San Francisco will gain new collective bargaining powers to affect conditions in their buildings, thanks to a move by lawmakers Tuesday.
The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved protections for tenants to form associations, akin to labor unions, that can negotiate with landlords…
SF Renters on Verge of Winning Collective Bargaining Rights
Groundbreaking tenant protections just got closer to becoming a reality in San Francisco.
City supervisors Monday gave the initial thumbs-up to legislation to protect the formation of tenant associations that, like unions, could collectively bargain with landlords. The three-person Rules Committee voted unanimously to…
How We Tracked Down the Information to Answer Questions About Tenant Complaints
We pored over voluminous public records and created a custom data set to determine the number of complaints and building-code violations that massive landlord Veritas incurred in 39 buildings named in a tenant lawsuit.
Complaints and Citations Rise Sharply at Veritas Apartments Cited in Lawsuit
An analysis of public records for more than three dozen buildings involved in a tenant lawsuit against Veritas Investments Inc. shows the number of reported problems and citations rose sharply after the giant landlord acquired the properties. These buildings also received a record number…
Noah Arroyo Discusses Veritas Lawsuit on “Your Call”
Noah Arroyo, assistant editor for the San Francisco Public Press, was a guest this morning on “Your Call” on KALW 91.7 FM. He spoke with host Rose Aguilar about his reporting on a tenant lawsuit against Veritas, one of San Francisco’s biggest landlords. Listen…
Sued by Tenants, Veritas Says it Maintains ‘High Standards’
I n reporting on the tenant lawsuit against Veritas Investments Inc., the Public Press engaged company spokesman Ron Heckmann at length. Here are excerpts of some of our questions and his responses.
Searching for Truth in Tenants’ Lawsuit Against S.F. Corporate Landlord
More than 100 tenants in 39 rent-controlled apartment buildings have sued the owner, Veritas Investment Inc., for behavior they allege is designed to push them out in favor of new, higher-paying residents. The $3 billion company denies the charges, alleging the lawsuit is a…
S.F.’s Largest Landlord Sued Over Alleged Efforts to Push Out Tenants
Veritas Investments owns nearly 200 buildings in the city. It’s been a target for tenant advocates, who accuse the company of building a business model that relies on pushing tenants out of rent-controlled units so they can be re-rented for much more. Veritas disputes…
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This story is ongoing. We intend to continue reporting on it, so make sure to check back soon. Or you can sign up for our newsletter to stay in the know.
In the meantime, here are other stories on the topic that have caught our eye.
- Rent Board Member’s Veritas Connection Under Scrutiny
- SF Weekly, May 1 2019
- (Follow-up to above story) Rules Committee Approves Rent Board Member With Veritas Link
- SF Weekly, May 20 2019
- I-Team investigates the largest landlord in San Francisco
- ABC News, Feb 2 2018
- EXCLUSIVE: Tenants living in squalid conditions in building owned by SF’s largest landlord
- 48 Hills, Jan 25 2018