We are coming up on month four of the rent strike, and a lot has been happening for us tenants. We appreciate the overwhelming community support and solidarity we have seen in this time, strengthening us in our resolve.

Because of the strike and all of the community support, we are finally seeing some progress on building repairs: after years of a leaky, broken fridge, Sonia’s fridge has been replaced within a month of the strike start. We have also won window repairs, pest control, repaired heaters, toilets, outlets, sinks, walls, lights, windows and more that we have waited years for. 

At the same time, Mosser Living is refusing to respond directly to our demands. After 37 days, they emailed us claiming they were prepared to start repairing the fire damage, but failed to provide proof of permits or a reasonable plan for us while repairs happen. In a letter response to Mosser, we expressed that we were glad to finally hear from Mosser Living, but frustrated, disappointed, and angry that it took a strike to finally get a concrete plan and any visible progress. Shockingly, the notice suggested the fire repairs could be completed in just 10 days, compared to Mosser’s original proposal where they claimed tenants would need to relocate for over a year to fix the damage, begging the question: if it only takes 10 days, why has it taken over a year to even start the work?

After taking our case to the Mosser Hotel on May 1st to demand that Mosser engage with us and meet with their tenants, we were finally able to secure a meeting with Mosser for June 2nd. Right now we are preparing for negotiations with Mosser at this meeting.