Mosser Living is one of the largest landlords in San Francisco, and they do not, tenants at 907 Valencia St. say, like to repair their buildings.
The majority of the tenants at the 31-unit building at 20th and Valencia streets announced today that they are done paying rent until Mosser repairs both damage from a fire that broke out in the building back in February 2025, as well as several other maintenance problems.
To publicize the strike, tenants hung an enormous banner reading “Rent Strike!” outside of one of their windows. In response, multiple businesses around the building — Dog Eared Books, Smitten Kitchen, and Consumer Auto Body Inc. — posted signs reading “Solidarity with the tenants at 907 Valencia” on their windows.
The saga began last February, when a fire broke out in a lightwell on the second floor of the four-story building, leaving an estimated $120,000 in damages in its wake, according to the fire department.
Tenants say the building’s residential units were in disrepair before, and the fire did not improve things. At least two of the building’s 27 units were affected by the fire. The building’s ground-floor commercial tenant, the salad chain Mixt, was able to remain open.
Six weeks after the fire, in April of last year, Mosser Living served capital-improvement eviction notices to tenants in 23 units. This type of eviction notice is used to clear out tenants so that construction can take place to improve building conditions.
Tenants, suspicious that they even needed to leave the building, formed a tenants association and began working with the Housing Rights Committee. They soon found that Mosser had failed to secure building permits before serving the eviction notices, which is required under city code.
Armed with that information, tenants in 14 of the 23 units refused to leave.
According to the tenants who refused to leave the building, as of publication, Mosser has not repaired the fire damage that is keeping their former neighbors from returning. It has instead, they told Mission Local, begun to remodel vacant units in the building — apparently in preparation for new tenants.
During that time, they said, Mosser has not followed through on requests for basic maintenance for units that tenants are living in. Last week, after being informed of the strike, the company started to send workers to inspect other occupied units. Still, tenants want to see more.
Mosser did not reply to a request for comment.
Since Aug. 14, 2025, 20 complaints have been filed with the city’s Department of Building Inspection, 18 of which remain active. The complaints are for garbage not picked up, broken air ducts, no heat, dilapidated flooring, damaged walls, windows not sealing properly, bathtubs and sinks not draining, smoke alarms chirping, appliances not working, and a rodent infestation.
An inspector who visited the building on Jan. 27 found that 907 Valencia was still in violation of the housing code.
Many of the tenants living in the building are elderly and are living with disabilities that make dealing with these conditions particularly challenging.
Luz Zavala, who’s lived in the building for 30 years, said that since Mosser took over the building in 2020, living conditions have sharply declined. Included in the rental payments every month is garbage collection, tenants said. But, over the last couple of years, the garbage bins often aren’t taken out until the bins overflow, Zavala said.
“The basement is a whole mess,” Zavala said in Spanish. “A rat bit me there a little over a year ago, and I had to go to the emergency room.”
Withholding rent payments can lead to a nonpayment eviction attempt, but the tenants said that it is a risk they’re willing to take.
“We’re scared, but we wanna live like people,” said Zavala. “We’ve paid on time, and it’s been us who have taken care of this building.”
Attorneys from Legal Assistance for the elderly, Asian Law Caucus and Mission Economic Development Agency will represent the tenants in case Mosser attempts to evict them.
Mosser has in the past been accused of stalling on repairs after a fire displaced several tenants in the Tenderloin. In November, Mission Local reported that 14 Mosser buildings, totaling 428 residential units and one commercial, had received receivership notices for lack of payment on the properties.
When Mosser applied for an extension to the capital improvements eviction at 907 Valencia in June, Administrative Law Judge Andrew Yick denied the request on the grounds that Mosser still had not filed for building permits. The last permit on record is for plumbing work in 2022.
“We’re sick and tired of it. We’re fed up,” said Rusell Lewis, who’s lived at 907 Valencia for more than 50 years. “We’re gonna do a rent strike on them until all of our demands are met.”
The article did not mention if the tenants would be depositing their rent into an escrow account each month as it comes due. I hope Housing Rights Committee has set up such an account because otherwise this could end badly with Mosser evicting many long-term tenants and replacing them with tenants that can pay 5x as much. In other words, Mosser may not be as opposed to the rent strike as one might think. Mosser is a monster and I am rooting hard for these vulnerable tenants, but I worry lots when I read about these rent strikes involving long term rent controlled tenants.
The article states that many of the tenants there have been there for 30 to 50 years. Their rents will be only a fraction of what it costs to upkeep the building, so the entire situation is not viable.
In fact that is how and why an entity like Mosser owns this building. Because no regular or small landlord could afford to carry such a loss-making enterprise. Mosser is the landlord of last resort.
One effect of rent control is to drive out the “nice” mom-n-pop landlords, leaving only corporates, vulture and hedge funds as buyers. I am actually surprised this building was not Ellis’ed years ago.
“Their rents will be only a fraction of what it costs to upkeep the building”
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This is actually a myth because upkeep costs have not risen nearly as much as market rents have. The fact that market rents have gone up 1,000% in 30 years doesn’t mean the cost of maintaining a building has gone up that much. Besides, while rent control has kept rents reasonable for existing tenants, the real profit for landlords comes from selling the building.
This is what happens with rent control. Forever tenants don’t want to give up their rent controlled units and owners want them out so they can get market rates. Everybody is resentful, tenants and owners alike. Then there’s trying to do repairs and renovations while people are living there, that is difficult on everyone, maybe impossible.
“Then there’s trying to do repairs and renovations while people are living there,”
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Except Mosser is not trying, right? The tenants aren’t complaining about the landlord’s workers being underfoot all the time. No, they’re complaining about the complete lack of action.
“Smoke alarms chirping?!?”
It needs a new battery!
Garbage isn’t being taken out?!?;
Don’t people take their own garbage out?
Admittedly, the landlord sounds awful. But he isn’t running a convalescent home.
Wow to being a tenant for 50 years! Isn’t there anywhere else he wants to see? A chance for a fresh perspective. Don’t be chained to rats and squalor, go make something for yourself, you won’t need to complain at all. This is America, best place on the planet, right under your feet.
Stick it to the LL’s. YOU can do it too.
Well, those are certainly words.
I find the many comments here dissing people who PAID RENT FOR DECADE AFTER DECADE as if we are the leeches. These buildings are likely paid for back in the 80’s, low property tax thanks to prop 13. And they can repair and pass through those costs to long term tenants. Where is the law or rule that one must move every few years? Want to rent apartments to earn money, some of us will not move till we die, Get over it.
“This is America, best place on the planet”
Nope, there are dozens or even scores of places better, you need to travel.
There are few things sadder than an elderly tenant who never took risks and whose major life achievement is desperately clinging to a rent-controlled badly-maintained flat.
Tom, Not everyone can travel or move freely, and with today’s rents, rent control is a necessity, not a luxury. Many people treat their apartments as lifelong homes—raising families, building careers, growing old there for decades. There is nothing unusual or ‘lesser’ about that. To assume someone lacks achievement or hasn’t taken risks simply because of their economic circumstance is both absurd and unkind. For many, clinging to a poorly maintained home over the threat of homelessness is the biggest risk of all.
There are few things less ethical and empathetic than you tom. Truly what is wrong with you to suggest a person who wants to spend their life in San Francisco is sad? And if the building is not maintained, that is on the owner.