We had some really thoughtful discussion that I think surprised everyone who expected the other side to be the devil, said Foley. THANK YOU: Subscribers' support makes this work possible. Michael Youssef net worth Feb, 2023. In September 2017 a woman was awoken at 7:00 a.m. to the sound of roof work, then a crash as from roofing material breaking her window, according to the complaint. The tenant called the Fire Department to have the door opened, city and state records show. According to Berrada, some of those eviction filings were apart of a two-year backlog. In Milwaukee, informal evictions are twice as likely as a formal one. Country of Admission France . In his early 20s, he turned a passion for technology-based businesses into a company that quickly grew to 300 employees. It creates more trauma.". 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. If the unit did have an appliance, and it needed fixing, someone from the company would simply show up and remove it from the building. Meanwhile, during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,Berrada Properties received nearly $1.5 million in rent assistance through programs administered by the Social Development Commission. Search our database of over 100 million company and executive profiles. Others express anguish over his companies' aggressive dealings with tenants, particularly through assembly-line evictions. Corporate landlords in cities like Milwaukee helped drive an evictions crisis during the pandemic. Madison, WI 53707-7857 Phone: (608) 266-1221. . The restitution would be for tenants who suffered a financial loss and the state is seeking forfeitures, or fines, of up to $10,000 per violation. Berrada Properties Management also has a habit, outlined in the complaint, of making bizarre, unnecessary repairs to their buildings that inconvenience and torment their tenants. In 2018, according to the complaint, another tenant, who has paraplegia and uses a wheelchair, found the carpeting in the hallway outside his apartment ripped up, leaving a strip of tacks at his threshold. Milwaukee landlord Youssef Berrada and his firm charged with 15 violations of state law. Landlords have filed 272,612 evictions since March-and thats just in the 27 cities that the Eviction Lab at Princeton University tracks. "I feel we have a good, over 95% approval rate," he said, referring to audit by an unnamed company Berradasaid had reviewed his operations. Little is known about the operation of his businesses. Bad press from the Sentinel, which has included drone footage of Berradas 18-room mansion, was not letting up. Journal Sentinel reporter Cary Spivak has been covering the alleged tenant rights violations tied to Berrada Properties. What happened in Milwaukee last summer exposes an overlooked, but driving force of the evictions crisis: corporate landlords are becoming an increasingly dominant player in the U.S. rental market, and they are more likely to throw their tenants out onto the street. On one day alone Jan. 30, 2017 Berradacompanies filed 99 eviction actions. The eviction crisis has been reported as a both sides proposition: when tenants cant pay rent, landlords cant pay their mortgages, putting both parties in a tough bind during a national cataclysm with no winners. And the governments gonna let him, the states gonna let him. Yosef. The group met three more times over the next weeks. He also allegedly filed around 850 evictions in a matter of two weeks earlier this month. The DOJs complaint alleges the landlord has violated the law with illegal provisions in his rental agreements that require tenants to pay attorney and court fees for an eviction Berrada has filed against them. That made him responsible for over half of the citys evictions. These court fees related to eviction, based upon the criminal complaint, are just one layer in a stew of penalties that keep a tenant indebted to Berrada, who then extracts even more money from the tenant on top of the monthly rent. The late fees, which for some tenants, like JT, are nearly endless, contribute to the debts that Berrada then uses as a cause for eviction. Youssef Kerkour is a most popular Moroccan Actor. She said the late payments were so steep that she soon owed the equivalent of two months of rent. Berradacompanies filed at least 1,637 eviction lawsuits last year, or 11.6 percentof the 14,157 filed countywide, records shows. Goldberger said his client is "a particularly private person and wishes to operate his business without unwelcome publicity.". "The state Department of Justice is suing a Milwaukee landlord, Yous sef Joe Berrada, owner of Berrada Properties for allegedly violating landlord-tenant law. Welcome to Sephari (pronounced Safari) wilson ultra tennis racquet; urban institute press; first premier credit card funds availability. 454 Unique 2021; 676 Future 2028; 938 England 2021; 99 France 2020; 341 Germany 2016; Also in 2020, the company was purchasing a property from Schultz Real Estate on 78th street, and Berrada agents arrived before the deal was even finalized to tell the tenants they had 30 days to move out. retained second twin medscape; why does alabama not have a lottery. Black renters are just wildly, disproportionately affected by eviction, said Hepburn, of the Eviction Lab. Berradatold the aldermenthere wereonly about 30 vacancies in the 8,000 rental units nationwide his operation owned. "You can't get mail without a mailbox," said Ramos of the Eviction Project, whichrepresented him in the case. Berrada, known as the boulder guy because he notably places big boulders surrounding his properties, is being sued by the states Department of Justice for fraudulent representation, unfair billing fees and allegedly causing pest infestations by conducting renovation projects in a negligent manner, according to the law suit. Housing experts warn the current crisis could trigger the kind of corporate consolidation of the housing market we saw in 2008-only this time at warp speed, as corporate entities lap up properties previously owned by mom and pop landlords driven out of business by the pandemic. Its in such a striking contrast to the defendants of these cases, where I know their names and their addresses but I cant say much about who is evicting them said Hepburn, of the Eviction Lab. Both SDC and Community Advocates defended doling out millions of dollars to the controversial landlord. If you are an existing member, sign-in to leave a comment. SeanHargadon, a U.S. Youre dealing with a community that is poor and has low wages. He was born on June 9, 1978, in Rabat, Morocco. During the COVID-19 pandemic, tenants reported workers entering their units or working inside their building for renovations without taking precautions like mask wearing. "Ihave lung issues and thedust was entering into my apartment,"said Young, 59. Failure to make the stipulation payments on time could result in an eviction. Share . In all, his companies own 292 properties with more than 3,600 units in the city. "If someone is going through the eviction process, I think there are a couple of things to remember. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1420576007798-3'); }); Sometimes the company sends written notices stating work needs to be done and, In order to effectively perform our work, we are asking that your unit be vacated as soon as possible. Esto es lo que debes saber sobre las Administradoras de Fondos para el Retiro (Afores), 16 postres de chocolate de alrededor del mundo, 7 razones por las que es mejor estar soltero, segn la ciencia, 5 maneras en que los hombres pueden durar ms en el sexo, Estos son los mejores alimentos para comer cuando tienes dolor de estmago. Against doctors' recommendations to terminate the at-risk pregnancy, his parents chose life after God intervened, sending the family pastor to reassure them that this child would be "born to serve the Lord." Bearden-Berrada knew enough about her ex-husband's finances to last year negotiate an increase in child support payments for theirtwo teenage children from $2,500 a month to $10,000. (262) 236-0368. Youssef Berrada. Youssef Kerkour. Evictions are also a stark reflection of the countrys racial divide. Quick move-outs: When a Berrada company buys a building, it sometimes wants tenants who are on month-to-month leases to move out within 30 days, so the property can be rehabbed, according to tenants and state records. Goldberger told the Journal Sentinelthe tenants who caused the damage to the property have been "removed" and Berrada Properties is replacing all exterior doors with "security enhanced doors.". 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. Berrada declined, repeatedly, to be interviewed for this story. (A Real Glass Company). 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. Foley sees the relationship shes brokered with Berrada as a potential blueprint for the rest of the country; an alternate path that could keep people in their homes and reduce the hegemony of corporate landlords. 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. All of this has helped rehabilitate Berradas reputation in Milwaukee. In all, Berrada companies own 292 properties with more than 3,600 units in the city. best build 2k22 shooting guard. When she opened Facebook, she saw people posting about Berradas rampant evictions. Housing advocates in Milwaukee say the companies sometimesrun roughshod over tenantsand that they are using small claims court as a collection agency. Sometimes Berrada is the guy landlords in trouble turn to when they need to sell in a hurry. In court, Toliverargued he never got the notice to pay his rent or face eviction because several mailboxes in the building, including his,had been vandalized and were unusable. Joseph. And when evicting Berrada always gets his money. pdf pdf . The complaint details a record of the company failing to inform tenants of upcoming work, illegally entering their apartments without notice and conducting renovations in a manner that creates inhospitable living conditions. In April, the Wall Street Journal called it a Potential Bonanza in Distressed Sales., When the CEO of Blackstone Stephen A. Schwarzman was asked at the Goldman Sachs Conference at the beginning of December if the pandemic would be similar to the last financial crisis for investors, he gloated: Blackstone was a huge winner coming out of the global financial crisis and I think something similar is going to happen now. Youcef separated from his wife in 2019 before they later filed for divorce in January 2020. To know more specific about her net worth and salary follow the below table. 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. 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). Top Result for Joe Berrada. Groups like Mediate Wisconsin, Legal Aid Society, and Community Advocates have all raised awareness by creating a virtual Milwaukee Rental Housing Center where tenants can access resources. My granddaughter's ashes.". Toliver'sname has since been sealed in the court record. DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more, with a 14-count civil enforcement complaint, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. We had to do it. Berradas rental agreements only contain standard language regarding security deposits. Berrada companies routinely finetenants $100 when they are 10 dayslate on rent. Rate may change after account is opened; however, minimum 2.25% APY* paid when account balance is $250,000 or greater through 6/30/2023 and 0.01% APY* will be paid when balance is under $250,000. While not all evictions result in a forcible removal, filings can trigger job loss, increased poverty, and serious mental health issues that include depression and suicidal ideation. In June, Rodriguez won round twowhen Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Laura Gramling Perez rejected a motion byBerrada Properties 22 LLC to reopen thecase. Berrada moved to Milwaukee in the 1986-'87 school yearand attended South Milwaukee High School as a foreign exchange student. Tiny part of landlord law could make lawyers wary of helping out, Low-income households in Milwaukee squeezed by rents, Judge strips Milwaukee landlord Elijah Rashaed's control over his central city properties, Mystery buyer rejected for notorious landlord's properties but judge grants more tim. Berrada will also deduct debts from security deposits at the end of leases. AddsMaudwellaKirkendoll, Community Advocates chief operating officer: "The tenants do have the option ofmoving"and the agency will help those tenants find new affordable housing. We could not continue to do business like thatIts people that owe us, 10, 12, $15,000 with no responseWe had to cut the ties., Berrada likened the situation of paying rent to paying other bills, like a phone bill, saying if that phone bill is not paid, then the phone service will be discontinued. Young twice sued Berrada Properties for throwing out her belongings. About half of the firms earnings are from a real estate business, just to give you some idea how this breaks: We picked the good neighborhoods, if you will.. Have questions? In March, building inspectors citedthe Berrada companythat owns the propertyfor14 violations,including missing or broken doors, holes in the walls, missing fire extinguishersand roaches. When there was some mold in the ceiling workers simply painted it over basically guaranteeing the mold would return. Berrada had already billed JT $500 in late fees by then, and hed paid $375 of them. Berrada often charges two sets of late fees, a $50 charge after the 5th of the month and another $50 charge after the 10th. In 2015, Stephen Toliver was pleased to land an apartment in a newly purchasedBerradaproperty on West Silver Spring Drive. Ouissam is the founder and current CEO of . "If you're renting a place for $600 and you get taken to court three times, it's like you're paying an extra month's rent," because of the fees and court costs that a tenant often agrees to pay, said Matthew Desmond,author of "Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City" a Pulitzer Prize-winning book that examinesevictions in Milwaukee. While many Berrada tenants have been relieved by the shift in tone, theyre wary of what happens when the CDC moratorium is lifted and their plight falls off the news cycle. Attorney General Josh Kaul announces a lawsuit against Milwaukee landlord Youssef Berrada, and his property management company. Id be homeless if it werent for Berrada, said 29-year old Tevin Buckner who Community Advocates helped with months of back rent owed to BPM through the new cooperative systems after he lost his job at the beginning of the pandemic. "When you have that type of concentration, it impacts the quality of the apartments because the tenants' choices are limited. La marihuana puede permanecer en tu sistema durante das o meses. She couldn't use the back exit because of recently poured cement and ongoing construction, she said. "I got out of the shower and he was sitting on the couch.". According to a recent report by Jobs With Justice and PESP, 198 corporate landlords got almost $320 million in federal COVID subsidies and then went on to file at least 5,381 evictions between March 16 and October 13th. 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.. Even if a tenant agrees to a payment plan and follows it, the original eviction lawsuitalmost alwaysremains on the tenant's public record. "It's a Catch-22," Goyke said. Youssef Berrada. Thats true historically and it remains true during the pandemic.. Postal Service spokesman, said information about the mailboxes was"proprietary.". Full Real Name. "SDCs rent assistance process is the same for every landlord and tenant," the nonprofit said in an email. Press Release. Berrada says his organization owns 8,000 rental units nationwide. Then, she received an eviction notice from her landlord, Joe Berrada. But growing evidence shows that more and more evictions arent driven by so-called mom and pop landlords struggling to balance their personal checkboards. However, he worries about the future of evictions, especially for those most vulnerable. "Berrada Properties Management, Inc. has a history of promptly and fully addressing matters which result in the issuance of an order by the City," he wrote. Today, when Foley works with tenants who need housing but have past evictions on their record, she often refers them to Berrada, one of the only landlords in the area who will offer them a lease. youssef.berrada@linklaters.com. 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, In January and February alone, corporate landlords filed to evict more than 16,000 people including over 850 eviction filings in Texas counties since they were hit by Winter Storm Shirley. 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). Among the vanished belongings:The urn containing the ashes of her infantgranddaughter,MiracleYoung. He'll evict you in a minute.". Rania Youssef's net worth is $750,000 US dollars (As of 2018). At first conditions were good, Toliver said. Use (480) 588-7753 to contact Youssef with caution. Berrada also gave his ex-wife a 2015 BMW X5as part of theagreement. The agency even placed a staffer in a Berrada Properties office to help tenants apply for rent assistance that is paid to the landlord. More than 500 of them have been filed since Feb. 1. "I kept a clean cell.". The civil enforcement action against Berrada includes a range of violations. We were inundated, said Foley, It was like weve never seen before.. ABBREVIATIONS; ANAGRAMS; BIOGRAPHIES; CALCULATORS; CONVERSIONS; DEFINITIONS; GRAMMAR; LITERATURE; LYRICS . Some city officials praiseBerrada, saying he oversees a well-run operation that buys and rehabs neighborhood eyesores. "He owns everything here. He wonders whether Berrada is truly turning over a new leaf or whether its a political stunt that will end when the cameras stop rolling. 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. . Officials have let it decline. During one week in June, as nationwide coronavirus deaths climbed steadily above 100,000, companies tied to Youssef Joe Berrada filed 225 evictions in Milwaukee. Erin Willoughby, an attorney at Legal Aid Atlanta calls the phenomenon playing musical management companies. On multiple occasions, she has arrived at housing court, ready to defend a tenant, only to learn that the unit was sold the previous day or week. Berradaoperations generally make repairs that are ordered by the city in a timely manner. Others have raised complaints. Some of Berrada's tactics are raising red flags with advocacy groups and attorneys who work with low-income renters. Records show Berradaor companies linked to him paid more than $17 million to buy homes and a luxury condoinMaui;Boca Roton, Fla.;Scottsdale,Ariz.;Chicago;San Diego and near Las Vegas. The state Department of Justice is suing a Milwaukee landlord, Youssef Joe Berrada, owner of Berrada Properties for allegedly violating landlord-tenant law. Landlord Berrada defends evictions record. Access to her apartment in April 2017 was difficult, according to a letter from Jennifer McClain, a nurse with MyChoice Family Care, written as Young was pursuing legal action. In April 2020, the company notified all the tenants at one apartment building they would be replacing every front door in the building despite the fact the existing doors were still functional, according to the complaint. 2023, Urban Milwaukee, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. Last year, Berradaentities filed 670 more evictions than they filed in 2016; countywide the increase for all landlords was just 685. An apartment on North 29th Street in Milwaukee owned by Youssef "Joe" Berrada company featuring his signature boulder on lawn. The promising actor was discovered by Steven Spielberg in Munich, Germany. In Milwaukee, publicly available information is the only reason Foley was able to direct her op-ed at the right person: Joe Berrada. Tielisha Hodges, who lives in a Berrada unit on West Sheridan Avenue, complained about holes under her sinks, space between a wall and the floor, and a lack of gas for several weeks when she first moved into the apartment. Top Result for Joe Berrada. Even before the pandemic, the relationship between landlords and tenants could be complicated. "A lot of landlords will deny housing to anyone who has been sued for eviction, regardless of the outcome of the case," said Eric Dunn, litigation director for the National Housing Law Project. Two days later, an email landed in her inbox: Berrada wanted to meet. "I just sat on the stairs and cried," Young said. Berrada tenants that arent asked to leave for renovations, often suffer in other ways. PO Box 7857. necklace test for how many babies. Berrada will take your security deposit if you vacate his property without proper notice. Youcef was a renowned theater actor who studied in . Two other essential tenant rights that Ramos mentions are the right to enjoy the property and the right to get notice of eviction. Another woman who required oxygen to breathe was forced to move out of her apartment when renovation work produced so much dust and chemical pollutants she had trouble breathing. "We work very hard every day to do better. TheBerradafilings in 2017included 265 so-called serial filings that is, suits filed against the same person on multiple occasions, the Journal Sentinel found. One of his tenants, Ernestine Young, told the paper that after a Berrada company purchased her building, workers cleared out her storage area without telling her. Among the problems, Toliver said, were insect infestations, broken doors, vandalized mailboxes and drug dealers hanging around a claim supported by a second ex-tenant and a neighbor. "Thats unfortunate, but completely understandable," Goldberger wrote. Raphael Ramos, an attorney for Legal Action of Wisconsin, notes that tenants hold foundational rights in Wisconsin. July 8, 2022 . The first eviction was filed against JT in November 2018 for an unpaid balance of $400, 30% of which was late fees. Inspectors checked the building last week and all of the ordered repairs had been made, a DNS spokesperson said. 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. "It's a terrible abuse. Berrada, who moved to Milwaukee at age 16 as a foreign exchange student at South Milwaukee High School, owns close to 8,000 properties in Milwaukee, Racine, St. Francis and West Allis. 2022 withholding tables. Cole said he did not know whetherBerrada's reputation for aggressive evictions stops tenants from filing complaints, but noted:"People are deathly afraid to turn in a landlord.". The DOJ charges that when tenants complain they are met with indifference or silence, and sometimes, they are harassed and encouraged to leave.. But threatening thousands of residents with homelessness in the middle of a pandemic struck many in Milwaukee as a new level of villainy. The state alleges that Berrada is personally involved in the day-to-day operations and minutiae of his massive real estate holdings and has personally located and secured the financing for the thousands of properties he has acquired, and personally signs eviction complaints, handles tenant complaints and oversees renovation projects. Youssef Kerkour's net worth, height, age, weight, affair, relationship, family, movie update, and more are highlighted below. Recentlyreleased from prison after doing more than 23 years followinga conviction stemming from a 1991 homicide, helooked forward to moving into a renovated apartment. Meanwhile, housing the poor is a prosperous business, given that poor and relatively wealthy renters pay similar amounts of rent. Ventron Management, for example, received $3.5 million in government funds and has filed 1,017 evictions. He was on the school's tennis and volleyball teams and was initiated into the National Honor Society. Learn more. Its like you just dont care about people, she said. It wasnt always so hard to keep the roof over your head in America-in part because corporations didnt used to own so many peoples homes. Youssef. 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. : Yousef. "Where am I going to go," he said, gesturing toward an area a couple blocks away on Wells Streetwhere boulders areon the lawns ofnine apartment buildings linked to Berradain a two-blockarea. That made him responsible for over half of the city's evictions. 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. At nearly two dozen properties, inspectors found 20-plus violations each; four had more than 40 violations. Becoming the face of a citys eviction crisis, after all, makes the price of doing business a lot steeper. . Try for free at rocketreach.co . The agency has worked with Berrada to help tenants find new units if they could not afford their rent and has urged Berrada not to charge late fees, she said. ContactCary Spivak at (414)550-0070 orcspivak@jrn.com. Now, coincidentally, his number of eviction have declined since he started collecting seven million dollars in rental assistance. Evangelicals and Trump: Two pastors, two views. Eviction is not, and has never been, BPMs first response to a tenant who is not paying rent. Here's the story of how corporate landlords helped drive the evictions crisis. He is the senior pastor of the Church of the Apostles in Atlanta, Georgia, and the executive president of Leading the Way. The name Youssef is boy's name meaning "Jehovah increases". RELATED:Low-income households in Milwaukee squeezed by rents. He said he stopped charging late fees at those properties because he understands COVID and the struggle that many of his tenants are facing. 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. Goldberger, the Berrada attorney,said Toliver received proper notice of the eviction. Here's how. Inspectors ordered the violations be fixed by April 8, but the city failed to schedule a follow-up inspection until last week after the Journal Sentinel asked whether repairs had been made. For example, in 2017, the company was responsible for at least 10% of all evictions in Milwaukee County, and in the last week of July 2020, Berrada companies filed 256 eviction suits accounting for roughly half the 506 evictions filed in Milwaukee County that week. Help us share the knowledge by buying a gift subscription. "I'm concerned, the mayor is concerned. Berrada has long been synonymous with evictions in Milwaukee. The birthplace of Michael Youssef is Egypt.