Remember the case of 1049 Market, where about a hundred people faced eviction all because a percentage of the units were declared illegal and the landlord decided to convert to office? Well, a number of tenants ended up taking their relocation allowances of $5,000, but there are still a number of people there who are fighting back.

As the Chron is reporting, a group of tenants who remain at 1049 Market are suing the landlord, John Gall and his family, over claims that the building has been left in disrepair since they haven't been allowed to do anything with it. In their claim, they say that elevators have been broken, heat has not worked, and homeless people have been found sleeping in the bathroom due to poor security and broken locks on the entry doors.

Supervisor Jane Kim has stepped in to try to get the building's windowless, illegal units grandfathered in under the code as live-work, however the landlord is pushing forward to try to evict the remaining tenants, of which he says there are only "a couple dozen." Planning has already put the evictions on hold pending a hearing.

This is just one of a number of situations around SoMa where illegal units that have had low-income tenants in them for years, but now that the properties are more valuable, landlords are kicking everyone out. We've personally heard about another, similar situation on Mission Street near 8th, where artist tenants have been given less than 30 days notice to vacate because the lease-holder is getting evicted.

Just another sad story of tenant woe, but in this case we're talking about one of the last best hopes for students and others who want to live in the city, don't want to live in an actual SRO, and have less than $1000 to spend on rent.

[Chron]