Dear Council Members,
I have worked in Menlo Park for 39 years and have lived and owned property in the city for all of those years. I currently own
three small 3 and 4 unit buildings. I am not in favor of rent control and especially the proposed plan you are considering
tomorrow night.
I tried very hard to keep my buildings updated and have kept my rents competitive and usually under current market rents. I have
tried to give tenants the benefit of the doubt regarding their credit score or salary if either is not quite sufficient. I look at
the whole picture. This proposal will change the way I look at prospective tenants in regards to credit and salary.
Another aspect of the proposal is regarding factors that allow you to remove a tenant. Nuisance as a cause is very difficult to
prove. You can have a nightmare of a tenant, but the police will inform you that nothing can be done because you can't prove who
is doing the damage or the disruption. This happened to me this year and over a five months period it cost me $10,000 from damages
and running off other tenants. This proposal will only increase the cost landlords are required to pay for the relocation of a
difficult tenant.
I love Menlo Park. I love investing in the community, and my investments are part of my retirement plan. I am a mom and pop owner
and this proposal is not good for the city as a whole.
Sue Crawford
*Wire Fraud is Real*. Before wiring any money, call the intended recipient at a number you know is valid to confirm the
instructions.Additionally, please note that the sender does not have authority to bind a party to a real estate contract via
written or verbal communication.
