How Can We Help You?
- I want to sue my landlord for damages
- I received a 60 day notice from my landlord
- My landlord is harassing me to force me to move
- I have been locked out of my apartment
- I think I am living in an unpermitted in law unit
About Hooshmand Law Group
We are focused on helping tenants and helping consumers in class action lawsuits. We are a tenants only firm and only assist tenants. For affirmative lawsuits for damages we work on contingency which means we only recover if you recover.
We are committed to helping tenants defend evictions and to recover damages related to false owner move in (OMI) evictions, wrongful and retaliatory evictions and evictions dealing with illegal units. We also sue landlords to recover damages as a result of violations of law related to wrongful evictions, false owner move in evictions, lock outs and significant harassment.
We are one of the few firms that takes cases to trial to obtain value for our clients. Many attorneys take cases but they are not focused on taking cases to trial if needed. We prepare as if the case is going to trial.
Selecting the Right Attorney
Before hiring a law firm meet with them and talk with them about the process. It is also important to understand the billing process including whether the firm works on contingency or charges hourly. Also if you have a sizable claim your attorney should be willing to work on contingency (for a percentage of the recovery) since you should not have to pay to obtain a recovery.
Attorney Resources
When evaluating firms, choose one that has the talent and resources to see your case through trial. If the opposing attorney knows that your attorney will not take the case to trial then you will not receive proper value for your case.
Dedication to Tenant Rights
We are dedicated to tenant rights and have fought to strengthen the laws on behalf of tenants. We believe in the importance of rent control and the importance of the law protecting all tenants from all walks of life.
Statistics on Owner Move in Evictions
Please see NBC’s detailed investigation into false Owner Move in Evictions in the Bay Area.
Hooshmand Law Group’s success stories include:
- HLG and tenants win jury verdict of nearly $600,000
- HLG and tenants secure settlement of $510,000 for wrongful eviction based on owner move in
- $1 million settlement for wrongful eviction of tenant by landlord for false owner move in
We obtained a $1 million settlement for a tenant wrongfully evicted as part of an owner move in eviction. We obtained significant evidence that the landlord was motivated by financial gain rather than desiring to truly live in the unit. - $670,000 judgment following jury verdict for wrongful eviction based on false owner move in
- $460,000 judgment following jury verdict for wrongful eviction based on false owner move in
- $2.9 million settlement for habitability conditions
- $1.5 million settlement for habitability conditions
- Lawsuit vs. Landlord — on behalf of 80 + residents of apartment building affected by substandard conditions
- Lawsuit vs. Landlord – False Owner Move in (OMI) where landlord allegedly evicted tenants under false Owner Move in so that they can perform Short Term Rentals
- Marymount Gateway Apartments – Class Certification for conversion of Apartment Building in Pacifica
Mark Hooshmand Featured In The Fall 2018 Issue Of “the Trial Lawyer”
Mark Hooshmand was featured in the Fall 2018 issue of The Trial Lawyer, writing on four ways San Francisco landlords take advantage of tenants. Click on the following link to access the full article — Four Ways San Francisco Landlords Take Advantage of Tenants
SF City Attorney joins fight against landlords that rented 20 illegal units in laundromat basement
San Francisco’s city attorney is suing the owner and occupant of a building where he says 20 people were living in squalid, unsafe conditions in the basement of a commercial laundromat. Hooshmand Law Group represents the tenants in a separate lawsuit filed in February. More details — SF Lawsuit Claims 20 Lived in Laundromat Basement ‘Death Trap’ (NBC Bay Area News)
San Francisco approves improved laws regarding fraudulent owner move in evictions
The Board of Supervisors has approved important legislation meant to address fraudulent owner move in evictions. These changes include:
- Landlords are required to provide a declaration under penalty of perjury stating that they intend to reside in the unit for at least 36 consecutive months
- For five years after the OMI, Rent Board is required to annually notify the current unit occupant of the maximum allowable rent
- For five years after the OMI, the landlord must offer the unit first to the displaced tenant
- Statute of limitations increased from three to five years
- Allows non-profits whose primary mission is protecting the tenant rights in San Francisco to bring a civil action against a landlord for wrongful eviction.
- Must first provide 30 days notice of intent to initiate civil proceedings by serving a draft complaint on the City Attorney’s Office, and any known address of the affected tenant.
- SOL 5 years
Thank you to the Tenants’ Union and the Housing Rights Committee for leading the charge on strengthening tenant protections.
- SF Examiner: How owner move-in reform will affect SF tenants and landlords
- Full text of the legislation
Have you been served with a 60-Day Notice of Termination of Tenancy for an Owner or Relative Move-In (“OMI”)?
Contact the Hooshmand Law Group to speak with an attorney for a free and confidential evaluation of your rights. Use our online submission form to upload the 60-Day Notice and we will contact you to discuss your case. According to NBC Bay Area, 1 in 4 Owner Move-In Evictions may be fraudulent. The Hooshmand Law Group recently obtained two significant jury verdicts in fraudulent Owner Move In and Relative Move In trials in San Francisco and we are actively working to protect tenants in San Francisco and the Bay Area.
Further Coverage of HLG Lawsuit Against Landlords of Illegal Units in Basement of Laundromat
Hooshmand Law Group Wins Jury Verdict In Favor Of Tenants In Fraudulent Relative Move-in Eviction
The Hooshmand Law Group has obtained a judgment in excess of $460,000 for a public school teacher who was wrongfully evicted pursuant to the Owner and Relative Move-In (OMI/RMI) provision of the San Francisco Rent Ordinance (statute below). After a two-week trial the jury found that the landlords, who had recently purchased the 4-unit building in San Francisco, had acted in bad faith and knowing disregard of the law when they terminated the Plaintiff’s tenancy on the pretext that their brother would be moving into the unit. The San Francisco Rent Ordinance requires that a landlord or relative for whom a unit is vacated must have a good faith intent to occupy the unit for a period of thirty-six consecutive months. Often, however, the owner or relative never move in and instead the Landlord rents the unit out at a much higher price. Read more….
Eviction Defense Collaborative
