The city of Oakland is suing a major property management company and several of its clients for allegedly maintaining dangerous and substandard housing conditions, the City Attorney’s Office announced.

Maisel Property Management Inc. manages more than 150 residential properties and more than 300 rental units in Oakland, according to city officials.

The Oakland company and five of its clients — all rental property owners — allegedly violated the city’s tenant protection, tenant move out and just cause for eviction ordinances, according to the lawsuit, which was filed this past Wednesday in Alameda County Superior Court.

“My team and I feel strongly that the defendants’ practices have put their tenants and neighboring Oakland residents at serious risk of injury and have increased the risk of their tenants becoming unhoused,” said Oakland City Attorney Ryan Richardson, who is also accusing the defendants of creating a public nuisance.

Since at least 2017, the defendants allegedly failed to properly provide hot water, fix carbon monoxide leaks and faulty electrical systems, repair fire damage, and deal with mold and pest infestations, according to the suit.

Accusations of tenant coercion

The defendants’ alleged motive was “to maximize profits and take advantage of the housing insecurity faced by their vulnerable tenants,” most of whom are low-income residents and people of color, according to the suit.

The City Attorney’s Office also alleges that the defendants repeatedly tried to coerce tenants into moving out of their homes without notifying them of their rights, as required by law.

A representative for Maisel Property Management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The suit specifically identifies seven properties, most of which are in various parts of East Oakland, in which people were “forced to live without heat and hot water, and have had to endure carbon monoxide leaks, electrical system hazards causing fires, severe mold, and pest infestations.”

The lawsuit seeks civil penalties, restitution and punitive damages, court costs and asks that the defendants “surrender all profits earned as a result of their unlawful conduct.”

A copy of the lawsuit can be found on teh Oakland City Attorney’s website.

Kiley Russell writes primarily for Local News Matters on issues related to equity and the environment. A Bay Area native, he has lived most of his life in Oakland. He studied journalism at San Francisco State University, worked for the Associated Press and the former Contra Costa Times, among other outlets. He has covered everything from state legislatures, local governments, federal and state courts, crime, growth and development, political campaigns of various stripes, wildfires and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.