SACRAMENTO, CA – Following long-standing habitability and security issues, renters at Palms Apartments in Sacramento held a rally and press conference here Thursday, demanding better living conditions and an end to the harassment they charge they have endured at the hands of their landlords.
Sacramento rents have historically been increasing over the past decade, and the Palms Apartments are one of the few affordable housing units left in the area, according to a recent statement by the Sacramento Valley Tenants Union.
The union explains a fire in early 2024 ended up decimating around half of the available units at Palms Apartments and resulting in a slew of new owners for the complex.
The current landlords of the rental, Carson Ave Partners, LLC, took control on April 10 of this year after purchasing the apartments and have since threatened tenants to move out, the union said this week.
As a result, tenants of the complex have partnered with the Sacramento Valley Tenants Union, now working as the Palms Apartments Tenant Association, to speak out about what they are experiencing and to attempt to save their homes.
Detailing the uninhabitable conditions they have suffered, tenants state their living situation was not safe, with faulty gates, locks, mailboxes, and trash collection—all of which has led to theft of packages, break-ins of cars, and illegal garbage dumping.
Tenants also claimed there have been vermin infestations, mold, lack of utilities, damaged electrical systems and more.
Regarding payment of rent, tenants claimed they are only able to use an online portal to pay rent, which—according to the Sacramento Valley Tenants Union—is illegal and particularly difficult for older or disabled renters.
Additionally, tenants have detailed harassment they allege has occurred by a new management company hired by Carson Ave Partners, LLC, who have aggressively intimidated and offered cash deals to renters in order to get them to move out.
This pressure to “self-evict” or accept “cash for keys” without proper compensation for the uninhabitable conditions they have endured is illegal, according to the Sacramento Valley Tenants Union.
The union maintains state law clearly states that “tenants are entitled to 60 days’ written notice if they are required to move out due to major renovations planned by the landlord, and they should have first right of return at their original rent once renovations are completed.”
The Sacramento Valley Tenants Union also indicated that, despite claims that there may be renovations, there have been no written notices or construction permits obtained for the building.
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