Adrian said the company did not initially treat it as a nuisance settlement. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul announced the filing of a civil law enforcement action against Youssef (Joe) Berrada and his property management company, Berrada Properties Management, Inc. Ten tenantswere hit with eviction suits filed by Berradacompanies four times, 55were sued three times and more than 200 received two eviction actions. . Research by the Private Equity Stakeholders Project (PESP), a research and advocacy organization, has tracked nearly 50,000 evictions by corporate landlords in select counties in six states since the beginning of September, and found that corporate landlords are responsible for the majority, and sometimes overwhelming majority, of evictions in some counties. All told the complaint suggests that Berrada and his company prey on the poor, turning the desperation of Milwaukees poor and struggling renters into cash. Berrada's impact on the Milwaukee rental marketcontinues to grow as Berradacompaniespurchased more than 70 properties this year, according to the Milwaukee County Register of Deeds records. [email protected]. Even if it is extended, housing experts say that it will only be kicking an eviction tsunami down the line- not to mention ignoring the fundamental problems with housing in America. Berradacompanies filed at least 1,637 eviction lawsuits last year, or 11.6 percentof the 14,157 filed countywide, records shows. An eviction filing functions as a stain on a tenants record which can make it close to impossible to find future housing. In two cases November 2017 and June 2018 Berrada Properties was warned that a lease is void if it "requires payment by the tenant of attorney fees or costs in any legal action or dispute arising from the rental agreement.". Donald Trump's election may have shocked the nation, but it was no surprise . Toliver was sued for eviction last year. Use (480) 588-7753 to contact Youssef with caution. MILWAUKEE, Wis. - Attorney General Josh Kaul today announced the filing of a civil law enforcement action against Youssef (Joe) Berrada and his property management company, Berrada Properties Management, Inc. She couldn't use the back exit because of recently poured cement and ongoing construction, she said. Community Advocates has developed a close working relationship with Berrada, whose aggressive eviction practices had been the target of criticism from tenants, community groups and politicians. "We work very hard every day to do better. Year: Net Worth: 2019: $20 Million : 2020: $20.5 Million: 2021: But threatening thousands of residents with homelessness in the middle of a pandemic struck many in Milwaukee as a new level of villainy. Rania Youssef's net worth is $750,000 US dollars (As of 2018). Requiring tenants to pay legal costs in eviction cases "was a part of the standard lease even though it is prohibited," said Raphael Ramos, director of theEviction Defense Project in Milwaukee. "They are armed with the most powerful threatgovernment has short of jail," he said of landlords. 2018-07-22 -. Youssef (Joe) Berrada's vision of providing affordable . Ramos points out that the pandemic has increased access to the city's numerous free legal help organizations and financial rental assistance. There is no national database of evictions, and evictions are only tracked at the level of the countrys more than 3,000 counties. Russell Stamper, himself a landlord, said:"He runs a tight ship. Toliver said he urged other residents who were voicing similar complaints to stop paying rent and complain to the city. When Does Dave Turin Lost Mine Start 2022, Loose Change Scratch-off Nj, What Are The Industrial Uses Of Gold, , Loose Change Scratch-off Nj, What Are The Industrial Uses Of Gold, When 14 million Americans lost their jobs at the beginning of the pandemic, housing experts predicted an eviction apocalypse. In some states, like Wisconsin, the worst case scenario was kept at bay by a statewide moratorium. By Michelle Conlin (Reuters) - As freezing temperatures settled over Kansas City, Missouri, on Jan. 28, Judge Jack Grate opened his online courtroom. These fees are sometimes charged to a tenant before an eviction has even been filed, and for more than the actual cost of processing the eviction. In addition to Young, another tenant of a Berrada propertycomplainedto state regulators that workers screwed her front door shut last year while she was inside. At Berrada Properties, we pride ourselves on providing quality living at affordable pricing. Goldberger, the Berrada attorney,said Toliver received proper notice of the eviction. The first eviction was filed against JT in November 2018 for an unpaid balance of $400, 30% of which was late fees. Milwaukee landlord Youssef Berrada and his firm charged with 15 violations of state law. A few monthsafter Ernestine Young returned home from a hospital stay last year, she found herself on the basementstairs of her apartment building sobbing. The civil complaints allegations paint a picture of a landlord and his rental company who use a web of fees and illegal practices to extract money out of tenants on top of their rent; torment renters with dangerous, sometimes needless renovations; profit from the evictions process; and when its expedient, even if the rent is paid in full, simply push tenants out of their homes. For example: Repeat actions:Berrada entities repeatedly file eviction actions against the same tenant, often ending each case with an agreement, orstipulation, demanding the tenant pay back rent, court costsand late payment fines. He is married. The complaint alleges that Mr. Berrada and Berrada Properties Management, Inc., violated Wisconsin landlord-tenant law by including . Instead, todays federal minimum wage is just $7.25. He dismissed that sentiment as inaccurate. But, according to the complaint, Berradas company spends a lot of time forcing tenants out of their apartments so that repairs can be made. Today, the 3,600 rental units Berrada's companies own cover 3.2 million square feet,roughly the size of 55 football fields. Jeff Myer, litigation director at Legal Action of Wisconsin, saidsuch repeat filings turnthe court into the landlord's bill collector. The promising actor was discovered by Steven Spielberg in Munich, Germany. "Thats unfortunate, but completely understandable," Goldberger wrote. I think the pandemic makes it clear we have to go at this differently, this crisis makes it so glaringly apparently that the current formula does not work. Is Michael Youssef Married? Its just a cut and dry type of operation that he runs.. Here's how. Weve got to do better.. Several tenants, including some who were sued for eviction, said the properties were ingenerally in good condition and well-maintained. That reticence beliesthe outsized influence Berradaand his companies have on the lower-income rental market in Milwaukee. A Journal Sentinel reporter and photographer observed two large holes in the wall in the hallway of the building when a tenant invited them into the building in May. Berrada: Just a businessman 2018-07-22 - I'm writing in response to the front page article about Youssef "Joe" Berrada and all the rental properties he owns ("'He'll evict you in a minute,' " July 15). Truly, an eviction benefits neither the landlord nor the tenant, and BPM always attempts to find a solution to the situation before filing an eviction.. Here's the story of how corporate landlords helped drive the evictions crisis. The state lawsuitseeksinjunctive relief asking that Berrada "come into compliance with the law" as well as restitution and civil forfeitures. Berrada uses late fees, sometimes illegally imposed on new tenants, according to the DOJ, in a manner interwoven with the companys hair trigger evictions and its withholding of security deposits. The name Yousef is primarily a male name of Arabic origin that means God Will Increase. The 26-year old had lost her job at Macys during the companys wave of layoffs when the pandemic started. In 2017, the millionaire mogul was responsible for more than one in 10 of the citys evictions, which the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported alongside descriptions of his multiple palatial homes, luxury cars, 49-foot yacht, and the time he served his own ex-wife with eviction papers. These COVID stimulus subsidies could have covered the nine months of rent due since the beginning of the pandemic for 24,394 families, Jobs with Justice calculated. The suit said Berrada workers once threw out the ashes of a tenant's infant granddaughter and screwed the doors shut of another tenant forcing her to call the Fire Department to open the doors. Soon after a Berrada LLC boughtYoung's building on the 5300 block of North 29th Street, the company began renovation work. Under Review. The second suit was heading for trial until April, when Berrada Properties Management agreed to pay Young$5,000 to settle,said attorney Amanda Adrian, who represented Young through Legal Aid. The $50 late fees and the attending court fees billed for eviction filings amounted to a combined $2,422 in fees charged to the tenant. "When Ms. Young's family member answered the door, the construction materials had to be moved aside and the door could only be opened a small degree to allow entry into apartment building. When Young went to the basement to check her belongings kept in a locked storage area she was shocked to see just how aggressive the workers had been. Sign-in to take full advantage of your membership, including an ad-free website and improved browsing experience. If you are an existing member, sign-in to leave a comment. The tenant could not leave his apartment for four days because the conditions left would have punctured the tire on his wheelchair. This alternate spelling of Yusuf leads the way in Spain, where it is among the 100 most popular baby names. These unexplained front door replacements are common and if tenants are not home when it occurs, the company makes little to no effort to ensure will still have access to the apartment after the door, complete with a new lock, is replaced. Theyre sitting on huge amounts of cash like vultures, waiting for the bottom to fall out so they can scoop up even more, said Scott Klinger, a Senior Equitable Development Specialist at Jobs with Justice. Tenants have also reported that the company has caused pest infestation problems to spread in apartment buildings, by conducting renovation projects in a negligent manner.. Press Release. Tired of seeing banner ads on Urban Milwaukee? Then, she received an eviction notice from her landlord, Joe Berrada. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1420576007798-3'); }); While not well known throughout the city, Berrada's presence can befeltin some neighborhoods, especially on the west and north sides just look for the ubiquitous boulders. Youssef. Youcef separated from his wife in 2019 before they later filed for divorce in January 2020. pdf pdf . It was the start of an unlikely alliance to solve Milwaukees eviction crisis. The funds are earmarked to help tenants who hit financial difficulties during the pandemic pay rent. Membership, which includes a host of perks, including an ad-free website, tickets to marquee events like Summerfest, the Wisconsin State Fair and the Florentine Opera, a better photo browser and access to members-only, behind-the-scenes tours, starts at $9/month. He'll evict you in a minute.". The director address is 1339 Meadowlands Dr. E, Unit #1111, Nepean, ON K2E 7B4, Canada. When going through the eviction process, in which he says he hates, he said he doesnt want to deal with the Milwaukee court system, he just wants his unit back., All we want is our unit back. Berrada said. The entire article is about how he is a terrible landlord and basically all he does is look to evict people. When this eviction was filed, JT had already paid Berrada $1,300 in late fees, plus the court fees each time an eviction was filed, just to stay in his home. Youssef Kerkour's net worth, height, age, weight, affair, relationship, family, movie update, and more are highlighted below. Princess Summit, who rents an apartment on West Wells Street, complained about mice in her apartment,garbage in the hallway and Berrada workers entering her apartment without permission. "It's a terrible abuse. The problem is almost certainly far bigger than we know. Goldberger told the Journal Sentinel that sometimes Berrada Properties will make the "business decision" to settle a lawsuit. ", "I started getting depressed," said Young, who was unemployed and on rent assistance. Contact Us, Take the next step, become a member. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. That many evictions in one week? More than 500 of them have been filed since Feb. 1. "The tenants who live in our properties deserve the same support as any other tenant in the pandemic, and to suggest that they dont because of the Department of Justices false and unfounded allegations is callous and disrespectful to the families who we serve," the statement said. The suit was filed by Attorney General Josh Kaul, and Assistant Attorneys General Robert B. Bresette and Gregory A. Myszkowski on behalf of the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection which conducted investigations into violations of consumer protections law by Berrada Properties Management. Berrada is known as "the boulder guy," since his companies frequently put boulders on the lawns of their properties. Recentlyreleased from prison after doing more than 23 years followinga conviction stemming from a 1991 homicide, helooked forward to moving into a renovated apartment. Now, coincidentally, his number of eviction have declined since he started collecting seven million dollars in rental assistance. MILWAUKEE, Wis. - Attorney General Josh Kaul today announced the filing of a civil law enforcement action against Youssef (Joe) Berrada and his property management company, Berrada Properties Management, Inc.