A band of immigrant tenants went to war with their $31 billion landlord. It’s a sneak peek of what’s to come.
In 2020, Los Angeles-based real-estate owner-operator CIM purchased a 60-year-old apartment complex on the outskirts of Washington, DC.
CIM had a vision to meet the needs of the greater Washington community with the complex joining a range of office, hotel, and apartment assets owned by the firm in the area, a representative said.
But instead of improvements and upgrades, tenants received eviction notices during a nationwide ban on evictions — and mold, pest, and other maintenance issues went unresolved. The tenants, many of them African immigrants who have grown to love the community, were worried by their new landlord’s agenda.
Finally, fed up with eviction threats and neglect, the residents fought back, pressuring the company through its investors. “We’re not going to leave,” one of the residents told Insider. “We’re going to continue to put pressure on.”
Now, after a long, drawn out battle, CIM is meeting the demands of tenant leaders — and it could be a predictor of what’s to come across America. |