In 2016 HUD decided that it’s discrimination not to rent to someone with a criminal record. If you’re a felon, the landlord has to rent to you. But if you have an eviction on your record, the city, state, AND the federal government allow you to be discriminated against for years! No apartment for years! You will have to beg friends or family to move in!
(And who would have guessed there are 7 more questions and answers just about renting to felons? :))
How long does an eviction stay on your record? Forever. Well, actually just 7 years in the scumbag thieving credit companies, but forever in the court records.
It’s certainly interesting that the laws have decided that renters are so bad, and such a danger to society that they must be flogged and punished, even for non-payment of rent. But let’s look first at evictions for no reason whatsoever. Or any reason. Could be they don’t like the color of your skin…or your socks. Doesn’t matter. California law says if you don’t have rent control, you gotta go, if the landlord points at you.
About 20 of us here at 2965 Waverly were evicted by Steven Taylor’s Taylor Equities on May 1, 2018. May Day it was. (I’m not sure if it’s exactly 20, since the way we counted them was going outside and staring at front doors. There, Taylor’s minion danced around as she slapped them on one door after another.)
No tenant here had ever gotten one before, because we were good people who paid our rent on time, were considerate of neighbors, and didn’t run with scissors. We were so shocked by this public humiliation, and very shortly after, I realized I was also ashamed to tell people – even people I trusted. I just felt dirty, or that people would think I had done something wrong, for anyone to hate me so much they had to kick me out. It takes a roughness of character to shame people like this, and then go home and be able to sleep, doesn’t it?
This mass eviction drew many of the tenants together tightly for support, but we still had to tell the outside world what had happened to us. A few days later one of the 20 workmen always here blocking our driveway every day was chatting with me and I decided to start telling people I was evicted. Shouldn’t the workers know who they were working for, and how he operates? Being forced out of your home IS a violent act, but I had done nothing to deserve it. I told him, “I’m evicted, you know. Most of us are.”
This big strapping guy literally stepped back from me, almost tripping. He stopped looking me in the eyes. In fact, he stopped talking after a few seconds and moved away. I think I was as shocked as he was. No one had ever ever looked at me like that before.
That was my first experience understanding that the eviction word is one of the most damning words in our society, suggesting that a person is a lowlife, irresponsible, dishonest, and maybe even illegal. It’s almost impossible to defend, because we all know that evicted people have done something bad, right? Landlords know this, and just love it. It’s their weapon – and threat – of choice.
Of course, the eviction notice we got – and any non-RSO building could get at any time – is BLANK for the reason evicted. They don’t need one. They have the power, you have none. And no reason
for the eviction is really really hard to defend in court, because it could be anything. Your skin. Your socks. Etc.
The next time I told a stranger – which happened when we called the police here for an incident – it was to one of the officers who had been here before, knew of the problems with Taylor Equities, and was pretty friendly. (And cute.)
I told him we were all evicted. He stiffened up, then relaxed when I explained that the eviction notice was blank, no reason listed, and the law allowed him to do this. Then he asked if we were “lawyered up.” 🙂 His partner still looked alarmed, however…
I think some education is in order, so the lucky homeowners (and lawmakers, and mucky-mucks) in the city can understand us renting folks. Being evicted isn’t always something renters do. It’s done to us. I just published a new page with some definitions: “It’s This, Not That.”
I didn’t know most of these terms before this happened to me. It’s a whole new world of pain. Let me know if I left anything out. And if you’re a convict, please leave some good apartments for the rest of us.
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