The washer and dryer were removed by the new landlords and not replaced. Then tenants were accused of stealing from their former landlord because the machines were not coin-operated.
One of the residents of 16458 Sunset contacted Circling the News to say that a new “narrative,” a lie, is being spread against the residents who live in the six units of affordable housing at that address.
A friend of one of the owners posted on Nextdoor that tenants were stealing from the former landlord because it was not a coined laundry. Those residents are being accused of “replacing the washer and dryer with non-coin operated machines and stealing from former owner Joe Angerman.”
“Not true,” they say and they have emails to prove it.
When Angerman died, the estate sold the 5,363-sq.-ft.-building on a 9,964-sq.-ft.-lot in July for $2 million to Palisades resident Kevin Sabin and Santa Monica resident Lance Zuckerbraun.
The 13 people living in the rental units includes three seniors, 83, 81 and 75 and a family with two children. Tenants have said they were harassed almost immediately when the building was sold in an effort to get them out of the apartments.
In September, Sabin and Zuckerman took the washer and dryer out of the laundry room, leaving tenants with no facilities. The nearest laundromat is in Santa Monica. Sabin told tenants to make up for the loss of the laundry facilities he would deduct $24 a month from their rent.
The Los Angeles Housing Department called the tenants, asking for proof that Angerman was aware that non-coin operated machines had been purchased.
There is an email trail between Angerman and the tenants about the laundry machines. Those emails were shared with CTN, and also with the LAHD.
The dryer was first replaced first in October 2014, when Angerman wrote to a tenant “Do you have time to replace the dryer in the laundry room? It’s giving [one of the tenants] fits.”
A tenant, who served as a handyman, replied “Certainly. I will look into costs and let you know. . .I’ll keep you posted.”
On November 1, the tenant sent the receipt from Sears to Angerman and let him know it had been installed. The original cost of the machine was $829.99, but the tenant was able to purchase it on sale for $601.
The handyman wrote to Angerman October 2018 about the washing machine, “I’ve taken the machine apart and it would seem that some kind of spindle on the main pulley shaft is not turning when the motor turns. Not sure its worth fixing Joe, but up to you if you want me to dig deeper.
“We did just fix the dryer about two weeks ago, so if you think I should just get a new washer and hold off on the dryer let me know. I can get them tomorrow and install after I finish work.”
The tenants did legwork to see what a replacement machine would cost and sent Angerman the pictures of two possible replacements, which could be purchased at Home Depot. The photos were also sent to CTN.
Then Angerman passed away, and the handyman wrote the estate in May 2023 that “I’m sorry to report after the washing machine fix, we performed last weekend, it gave up for good one week later.”
A machine was purchased at Best Buy and the handyman was able to get $1,000 machine for $620. The response he received from the estate was “sounds like a good deal! I’ll send you a check. Thanks for getting that done.”
Tenants had forwarded those emails to the trustees before the sale of the building and property, and now have forwarded those same emails to LAHD.
CTN is still waiting for a return call from Sabins and Zuckerbraun’s attorney Michael C. Earle of Fast Eviction Service https://www.fastevictionservice.com/ .
Walking through the entryway, past the garages on Sunset, the interior of the courtyard is full of plants that were cared for by a tenant.
Sue, Thank you for covering this situation. All of us in PP should be horrified to see vulnerable people being treated in this manner. “There but for the grace of God go all of us.”
Amazing. When the site was purchased, surely there were contracts, deeds, etc., signed and notarized, filed and registered. So, the ‘big surprise’ is nonsense. Every little bit that was part of the sale was fully vetted so the purchaser knew in advance and his/words are inane and probably won’t hold five cents in court or anywhere else.
I’ve lived in the building since 2008. At some point we (the tenants) replaced a washer and a dryer out of our own pockets. We didn’t want to bother Joe. Each of us did a lot of upkeep on our apartments without seeking reimbursement. Joe took care of us, and we took care of the property.