Tenderloin Housing Clinic files a class-action suit against Kaussen on behalf of low-income tenants, many of whom are refugees.
Category: Battle with Slumlord Kaussen
In 1984, THC heard from Cambodian immigrant tenants at 270 Turk Street about problems with their living conditions. Upon investigation, THC learned the tenants’ rents were being raised illegally as well. We soon discovered that their landlord, German multimillionaire Guenter Kaussen, was the largest apartment owner in West Germany and among the largest apartment owners in the world. This led THC on a long campaign to protect Kaussen tenants. Local television news ran stories on the Kaussen campaign for weeks and the story appeared on the national television news show, Sixty Minutes. The campaign ended in 1985 following Kaussen’s death and the collapse of his financial empire. The stories in this category provide the details.
1984
Workers and Tenants Protest
Workers and tenants protest slumlord Guenter Kaussen.
1984
Suit Accuses Kaussen of Keeping Deposits
Tenderloin Housing Clinic files a class action lawsuit against Guenter Kaussen, who is accused of wrongfully withholding tenants’ deposits.
1984
Guenter Kaussen Properties Employee Layoff
All employees at Guenter Kaussen Properties are laid off indefinitely on May 31st, 1984.
1984
German Landlord’s Policies Protested
THC joins tenants, workers, and other local organizations to protest the substandard living and working conditions inside Kaussen’s properties.
1984
Landlord Sued Over Rent Deposits
A tenants’ rights group sues German landlord Guenter Kaussen for allegedly failing to return security deposits to dozens of former tenants of his San Francisco apartment buildings.
1984
German Landlord Sued in S.F.
Tenderloin Housing Clinic filed suit to force landlord Guenter Kaussen to fix a broken elevator that has caused hazard and tragedy at the El Cerrito Apartments.
1984
Stop Gunther Kaussen Housing Speculator!
Tenants of notorious slumlord Gunter Kaussen organize to force Kaussen to make repairs to their Leavenworth St. building while refusing to pay illegal rent and fee increases.
1985
Tenderloin Properties of Kaussen’s Keep Shrinking
The once vast U.S. holdings of West German real estate tycoon Guenther Kaussen, one of San Francisco’s most complained about landlords, have shrunk significantly because of his precarious position.
1985
Troubled S.F. Landlord Kills Himself in Germany
Accused slumlord Guenter Kaussen committed suicide on April 15, 1995. He left behind millions in debt and lawsuits, many of which were put into limbo after his death.
Trigger Warning: Suicide