In a subscriber-only article in yesterday’s U-T, reporters Roxana Popescu, Lori Weisberg wrote that two OB tenants of vacation rental king, Michael Mills, who had sued him for unlawful eviction and rent raises, will be able to remain in their homes.
Tenants Damin Dixon and Alison Bradford are no longer facing eviction. “Both tenants are still living in their same units,” their lawyer, Parisa Ijadi-Maghsoodi, stated. The Rag covered the suit.
Of course, this is the same Michael “Micky” Mills that has played the city’s short-term rental rules and was able to finagle more than 100 short-term rental licenses in Ocean Beach, far exceeding what the city’s short-term rental ordinance allows or intends. (NBC7 did an outstanding job in its report.)
The U-T:
In a lawsuit filed last month, two of Mills’ tenants said he ordered them both to move out without following the proper process. He also raised their rent illegally prior to that, they claim. …
“In response to the tenants’ lawsuit, the landlord admitted that the illegal notices were invalid, stated he would not seek to evict these tenants — or other tenants —based on invalid notices, and would stop issuing invalid notices,” Ijadi-Maghsoodi wrote.
But, the lawyer added, the dispute hasn’t been resolved. “The civil case is still pending regarding a full resolution of the tenants’ claims, including monetary claim.”
Back in early June, the OB Planning Board demanded changes to the city’s ‘host’ loophole in that allows one person to have over 100 Properties with short-term rental licenses. Other local media have discovered that Mills is not the only miscreant here, that there’s many other LLCs and property owners who have also used the loophole. Despite the city’s claims that it is “scrutinizing” Mills, nothing has been done. And in fact, Jen Campbell’s office recently claimed no changes to the STVR law will occur for years.
Rent seeking behavior does not provide utility in this current market and should be disincentivized via taxation or other avenues. More owner occupied primary residences are needed. If someone owns more than one residence they should be penalized for doing so. Increase supply without trickle down economics.
Invitation Homes, the nation’s largest owner of single-family rentals.
Corporations are people, too!
Go get ‘em!
It’s worse than that. The city was caught approving multiple licenses to the same exact host in some cases. But instead of revoking those licenses, they advised these Airbnb owners on how to exploit the loopholes using proxy hosts.
I thought Campbell’s office assuring people this was an ” easy fix”. What gives with that? Isn’t she the one who designed this whole thing?
Tessa, yes you’re quite right, Campbell and her chief of staff came up with it.
He must be paying some people for sure to get all those licenses. They all should be revoked.
affordable housing would be easier thru more single owners without these leeches on society.
Miscreant. There’s an appropriate word if ever there was one. That guy has been nothing but bad news the entire time he’s been in Ocean beach. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a good thing about him.