Tenants meeting Sunday 1/22/23

6:00 PM in the lobby.

  • We will review the draft letter we’ll send to the landlord
  • The landlord has been notified to stop towing cars and charging illegal fees
  • Speaking of illegal fees, has anyone had their January rent checks rejected after mailing them? 
  • We are contacting local housing authorities to report harassment 
  • The unlicensed and super-sketchy towing company, “Izzy Tows It”, will not be used for towing going forward
    • By sheer coincidence – or was it? – a tenant’s car has been vandalized on 2 consecutive nights starting at the same time building management dropped Izzy Tows it.

Tenants meeting 1/2/2023

There were more people than we expected at the meeting. It was good to meet our neighbors! The highlights:

  • We have formed a corporation to handle issues with building management, so building issues do not need to be addressed by any one person.
  • …and we have an attorney.
  • We will probably be forced by building management to take legal action due to their refusal to address our concerns and provide basic amenities and services.
  • The towing company (“Izzy Tows It”) used by the building management is absolutely horrible, for many reasons:
    • They appear to be unlicensed
    • They overcharge for towing and … well, everything. Mileage, daily rate…all of it.
    • They’re aggressive (in their towing as well as personally), and have towed many residents’ vehicles from their assigned spaces
    • They appear to be towing at will rather than by request from building management or complaints from residents that their parking space is wrongfully occupied
    • They’re not conforming to even the most basic business standards – posting prices or providing receipts, for example
  • Building management has been unresponsive at best to our concerns about the towing company and towing policies
    • Insistence on picking up a parking sticker in person from Hawaiian Properties’ downtown office during their limited business hours (they close at 4:30pm), which for many people can require taking time off from work
      • …when sending parking stickers via US mail was good enough previously
    • Refusal to consider using a different towing company
    • No response to requests to change towing policy
    • Dianna Harrelson, the property manager, has said that Izzy Tows It isn’t an agent of Hawaiian Properties. She is obviously wrong about that.
  • Broken elevators are an ongoing issue
    • One elevator has been out of operation for almost a month
    • The other one has been partially broken for most of that time as well, and doesn’t open its doors automatically upon reaching a floor.
    • At least one resident was trapped in a broken elevator for an hour or more last month. There is no way to call out from the elevator if you don’t have a phone with you.
    • Some residents have mobility issues and can’t easily reach the “Open” button in time to get off at their desired stop
    • There should be a dedicated account for elevator maintenance. Is there? Is it being used? Nobody knows
    • There is also no information about when (or if!) we might have two working elevators again
    • …and shouldn’t there be elevator inspection certificates somewhere, or signage saying where they can be found?
  • Building security is also problematic
    • The lighting schedule for the parking area often leaves it dark and dangerous
    • The side gate is broken, and vagrants and random people often use it as a shortcut between Citron and Date streets
    • Security cameras – what few there are – don’t cover the bike parking area even though it’s a frequent target of thieves.
  • The website (this one!) will be active by the end of the week.
  • We’ll post downloadable documents (tenants rights handbook, etc.) here soon
  • Please post comments/concerns here. ALL COMMENTS AND POSTS ARE MODERATED – that is, building management won’t be able to jump on and start threatening tenants.