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Housing and Homelessness

California wants to hear from Mike Nijjar’s tenants and more as part of ongoing lawsuit

A courtyard at River Glen Apartments in San Bernardino, California, the peaks of the San Bernardino mountains loom in the distance.
A courtyard at River Glen Apartments in San Bernardino, a complex connected to mega-landlord Mike Nijjar.
(
Chava Sanchez
/
LAist
)

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Topline:

In June, California sued Mike Nijjar, one of the state’s biggest landlords, alleging unsafe living conditions at his sprawling empire of rundown and often dangerous rental properties. Now, Attorney General Rob Bonta is asking tenants who have experience with Nijjar to share their complaints with his office.

What they’re looking for: State officials want to review reports of unsafe housing conditions, pest problems, leaking roofs, overflowing sewage, unlawful rent increases, discrimination against Section 8 tenants and a lack of Spanish translations of their leases, among other complaints.

What is Bonta saying: “ We're taking Mr. Nijjar and his companies to court to ensure they fix the unlawful situation they've created, operate within the bounds of the law, provide safe living conditions for all tenants,” Bonta said, “and, where appropriate, pay for their violations of the law.”

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What companies are being investigated? The state is looking into Nijjar and his companies PAMA Management and IE Rental Homes.

However, the companies also do business under other names. If you leased an apartment or home from the following companies, the state wants to hear from you:

  • Legacy Management
  • Regency Management
  • Bridge Management
  • Hightower Management
  • Pro Management
  • Equity Management
  • Mobile Management

How to submit: You can file a report here. Bonta said the state can’t represent individual tenants but that these testimonials will help with the ongoing lawsuit.

Go deeper … Aaron Mendelson’s 2020 LAist investigation into Nijjar and his properties.

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