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SF Tenant's Union
Rating Details »
Categories: Real Estate Services, Public Services & Government [Edit]
Neighborhood: Mission558 Capp Street
(between 20th St & 21st St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 282-6622
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22 reviews for SF Tenant's Union
Well here's a shock....
If you don't know what your tenants rights are in San Francisco, chances are your landlord is not going to tell you.
The SFTU provides an invaluable service (for which you should donate at least $25} to anyone struggling with a landlord tenant issue.
Legally, the rain shouldn't be pouring into your apartment.
Legally, your electrical system should be safe, effective and working.
Legally, you should not feel threatened by a fellow tenant.
Particularly if you are renting under the auspices of a huge property management company, you may not get what you are legally entitled to without going through legal channels to get it.
Hence, The SFTU is there for you.
A saving grace in a complicated city.
My roommates and I have been in a sticky situation for over a month - one that's involved us being displaced from our apartment for almost four weeks. Not to go into detail on the very public Internets, but let's just say the entire experience has motivated us to jump ship and move to a new place entirely (a much nicer place for less rent, I might add).
We consulted the SF Tenant's Union from the get-go, and they could not have been more helpful. They thoroughly explained our rights and recommended actions for us to take on several occasions, and it's because of this that we've been able to get through this whole ugly ordeal.
The housing situation in San Francisco is messy, and trustworthy landlords are difficult to come by. Do not hesitate to consult the Tenant's Union if you ever feel uneasy about a living situation, or if you suspect that you're being jilted. It never hurts to ask.
It's a great service in SF, but I have to say I didn't get anywhere with them. It was a waste of time. There was one person working the drop in hours and he was 30 min late. He wasn't listening to my situation at all and just kept repeating things that made no sense. Not the best experience.
I'm just going to keep this short and simple.
I don't know if it's been bad luck, bad choices, or just how things are in San Francisco, but ever apartment I've rented there's always been some sort of trouble with the landlord or management. I try to approach things calmly and professionally and settle things between ourselves as civil people do.
It's never worked. I've always had to reference the law and prepare for legal action. And I find court a tremendous and often unnecessary hassle.
The San Francisco Tenants Union has helped me at every turn. They've calmly explained what the law states, how to make it favor my situation and how to protect myself and my rights. All the while giving gentle encouragement.
I can't speak highly enough of this place.
My roommate and I visited this office-in-a-house on Capp Street, and we are thoroughly grateful that we have an additional resource to use to fight unlawful landlords. Dealing with the Rent Board is inevitable with a complex landlord/tenant dispute, but the SF Tenant's Union softens the blow by preparing us with basic and useful legal information (without dispensing legal advice).
Do realize that donations really help the cause, so give what you can afford, even if it's just a little. A little goes a long way toward asserting tenant rights in this city.
Great place for low cost legal advice on how to deal with tenant/landperson problems. I can't recommend it enough!
THOU SHALT NOT TRUST THE LANDLORD
...is the moral of this story.
Even though it took me about TWO HOURS to get there by MUNI from Haight/Ashbury, AND I had to wait about 1 hour before I saw a counselor for a total of 10 minutes, it was worth it....
It's FREE. What more can you expect? (but bring some cash to donate anyway! $20 standard, or $10 for low-income...OR if you'd like to become a bona fide member, like I did, you get a SF Tenants Rights Handbook and all the free counseling you want for $40 bucks!)
And although I felt as if the 2 counselors were smirking and holding in laughter throughout everyone's case (as well as my own) it was still worth it. They gave me some useful info I wouldn't have known about what my rights are as a tenant.
I also learned that tenants get SHAT upon quite often in this city of 'Frisco (oooh no one calls it that, i know but i like the way it sounds, so sue me!) One of the counselors told me I needed to "toughen up" to SF ways. I'm from the south so supposedly I trust people too much.
But the best thing I learned from the experience?
THOU SHALT NOT TRUST THE LANDLORD.
Oh, psycho landlord, you cute lil' dude,
How I wish I could put arsenic in all of your food.
You stalk me and mine, and come into my home
where you go through my stuff with a fine tooth comb.
I love how you always seem to be lurking
You do understand that it's my chain you're jerking.
Keep out of my car and stop blaming me nightly,
for break-ins and break-downs and stains so unsightly.
Maybe I DID take your stupid ol' paper,
the Examiner's a rag, so I did you a favor.
I can't take much more of your creepy old ways,
so I'm going to the Union to make you pay,
For all the freakishly weird stalker things you have done,
out of spite, dementia, or even boredom.
So thank you, Tenant's Union, for the support,
so I can drag this punk-ass to court.
Very useful service. The counselors are well read and informed, and they've each been doing this for decades. Their advice and attention is empowering for a mistreated tenant. These counselors are passionate enough about their job to pull extremely long hours, often staying after midnight. All for no pay. That's right - everyone is a volunteer.
Services are free, no appointment necessary, you're not required to join. Become a member for as little as 20-30 bucks a year, and they give you a handbook on tenants' rights as well access to a special hotline for over the phone counseling.
The downside to the union's volunteer nature is the disproportionate amount of volunteers for the demand. With a service is highly useful and free as this, there's going to be a deluge of people seeking it. Drop into the office for counsel and expect an average 2-3 hour wait. That's because they don't take appointments and there's a ton of mistreated tenants in this city. The members' hotline isn't any better - depending on what time of day you call, response time is 1-7 days.
Still, people withstand the enormous inconveniences. The counsel is so good that people who can afford $500-an-hour lawyers and come from as far as Marin will sit in for 3 hours just to get advice from a volunteer.
So I also met with Harold Darling, and I got terrible advice. He was completely wrong about my situation - which was a simple and common one in san francisco - and I had to talk to two other people who work at the SFTU to get the story straight. Harold even went so far as to accuse me of being a plant for my landlord and of spying on the SFTU. I'm sorry, but the guy is a total shady prick, and it seems like he's who you get to talk to half the time.
I support this place in principle, and I did get good and correct advice from the other two people I spoke to, but remember to take everything they tell you with a grain of salt.
Convoluted story short: I was afraid to turn on the heat bc my landlord told me the other tenants didn't need it and I could use a space heater which would be extra charge even tho ult are included. Ok, so it's not that big of a deal and I'm a fucking pushover. Story of my life.
Thank god for the Tenant's Union. I wasn't sure about my rights or what to do (even tho my friends and random strangers who I told my story to all told me the same thing: TURN ON THE HEAT) but TU made me feel more assertive and knowledgeable. Nothing is as satisfying as being able to start an angry letter to your landlord with "According to Section XX of the California Civic Code". Instead of 50 degrees, I am now sleeping in 68 degrees.
For $40/year, you can be a member meaning you have unlimited counseling, phone counseling, and get a nice handbook detailing every little issue about renting. I'd advise going to the drop-in counseling. You get more detail that way, plus hearing everyone's problems (plus or minus, depends on you) made me feel better about my insignificant issue.
And who doesn't like an org's whose website is SFTU? Btw, thank you to everyone who gave them one star. You convinced me that they are legit (and they totally are, but grain of salt man, grain o' salt). Without you, I never would have gone.
If you have a problem with or question about your LL or tenancy in SF, go here. Really, it is so much more efficient to go to people who know what they're talking about and, in some cases, have been involved in tenancy issues for years and years, than to post on yelp and try to recognize the responses of people who have already been to the tenants' union.
Tenancy law is tricky and changes often. Go to experts, not your pals or fellow yelpers (although the people at the TU are quite friendly and will probably be your pals, if you ask nicely. And bring cake.).
The SF Tenant's Union is an amazing resource that anyone living in SF should use if, by some horrible circumstance, they find themselves needing it. The Union has your back, the fact that they are a free service (accepting donations) makes it invaluable!
The people that work here are volunteers and they really know their shit. Any question you may have from evictions, to roommate disputes, landlord shadiness and in my personal case, what to do after a fire in your residence, these people know what they are talking about.
Make sure to check the website ( http://www.sftu.org/ ) to see when the drop-in clinic hours are and be sure to show up early as the lines can get pretty long.
I recently went with my roommates (since we were burned out of our apartment) to figure out if our property managers were doing the right thing by verbally asking us to move out. I'm not going into the details as it's a big headache and I'm STILL trying to deal with the mess...
But I will tell you that Harold, the guy we talked to, was very knowledgable and understanding to our case. He made sure we wrote everything he was saying down and let us know just how shady our property managers were being. And when it came time to donate money, he refused a donation from us as he said we should keep it as we've already lost our apartment and should save all the money we can at this point. Wow.
These people are here to help you! Use them!
We are truly fortunate to have an amazing resource such as the SFTU in the community.
If you are able to attend the drop-in clinic hours, my recommendation is to get there as soon as you can at the beginning or even a little earlier (check the times on their website) in order to avoid the wait.
When our building was Ellised on December 27, '07, these guys were the first we turned to. I have to admit, however, that the kind counselor there at the time was not as helpful (on Ellis Act evictions) as some of the subsequent places and resources we checked, but they offered an understanding ear and, for a $50 membership fee, the awesome Tenants' Handbook -- truly worth its weight in gold.
Counseling can also be a bit inconsistent, depending on which counselor is at the clinic at the time -- on another occasion, other tenants in our building showed up at the SFTU, and came away with a list of attorneys experienced with Ellis to further consult -- something that was not offered to us.
These guys are brilliant, incredibly patient and helpful. They listened to our case thoroughly, asked thoughtful questions and gave us incredible advice that resulted in getting our deposit back in full. We were so happy to make a generous donation to them because they were worth every dollar. Hats off to such a fabulous group, that makes tenants lives (under Dracula landlords) a bit easier. Thanks guys!
it's california? or san francisco? maybe i can blame coit tower? but i have had the worst housing experiences in the bay area (love my new place, knock on wood). the tenants union has truly helped me advocate for myself, however. really interested, passionate volunteers help you understand your housing situation, how to evaluate it, what your potential legal and non-legal recourses are, and where to go for more hands-on assistance. if you need help, this is an amazing starting point. if you can afford it, donate the membership fee or even give a little more - lots of folks really need free help, and your donation will help them get it.
You need to exercise a lot of patience in order to get some details. Either that, or you have to become a member, but it's totally worth it! These guys know the ins and outs of tenancy issues in The City, the best bet is to study up their website and it that doesn't work then buy a membership and go in for counseling. Not that you need counseling, I'm sure you are OK, but your landlord is most likely a shit bag out to screw you over.
Though I had to wait two hours due to two people ahead of me, the couselors stayed 1.5 hours late to help me and my roommies out. The dude there seemed genuinely excited and eager to educate us, and he told us about http://www.sftc.org, a website that allows you to search peoples' court histories and see scanned court documents. I thus discovered that my landlord has a near-terrifying list of court appearances, but at least I know to proceed with extra caution.
The people here are fantastic and know the laws inside and out. They really care about the people they are helping. Harold Darling even spent time after the official clinic closing time to help a few of us write letters to our crazy, greedy, penny-pinching slumlords demanding our money back. The staff is even helping me write followup letters and get everything together for court. Court is never an ideal situation, but its nice to know the union is behind you and makes sure you are prepared. This is definitely a resource to support. If you can't donate any $$$, spread the word. These folks deserve it! Their resources are invaluable to this city!!!
Great organization for tenants. It is non-profit org, run by volunteers- all the counselors are highly knowledgeable about tenants laws. I highly recommend joining if you are a tenant in SF because this is the means to empower yourself and not let those slumlords get away with anything. You get a book which breaks down things you should know about landlord tenant laws and resources you have available in the city. If you need further advice, you can go to the drop in counseling or call the office. Check out their website: http://www.sftu.org
Okay, on one hand, it's wonderful that a service like this exists. Low-cost, confidential tenants' rights counseling is awesome, and the waiting list testifies to just how necessary it is.
But on the other, some of the counselors' advice hinges on what they would like real estate law to be, not what it actually is. If you're in a dispute with a landlord, your best resource for rental laws and ordinances is actually the SF Rent Board on Van Ness, and one step above that is hiring a lawyer.
this is one of those resources that you stumble upon in the back alley or the back pages of a free newspaper. one of those resources no one mainstream has heard of (because they're living in their fancy shmancy managed apartments) and everyone who has heard of it has sworn by.
unfortunately, my landlord went all alzheimer's crazy on our asses and demanded that we cough up close to $5000 in back rent. back rent for what, bitch? and here I almost acquiesced because i thought i had no alternative and no rights. after feeling pretty helpless i looked to the internet and yelp (i love you, yelp) for advice and found out about the sf tenants union. even though i wasnt sure if i was rent controlled or not, they offered advice on how to find out and who to talk to. had they not pointed me in the right direction, id be paying through my nose and broke right now. i'm forever grateful and was more than happy to join the sftu and pay a paltry fee for wonderful advice and great resources. if you're rent controlled or if you just don't know where to start, come to the sftu. they are actually on your side first.
