February
29, 1996
BY CERTIFIED MAIL
Louis Kuo
368 Georgewood Lane
Palo Alto, CA 94306
Re: 1025 Hyde Street, Apartment
4
Dear Mr. Kuo:
I am writing this letter
out of a sense of utter frustration with your lack of response
to our telephone calls. Chris Dorment and I have been calling
almost daily, and at all hours of the day and night, for the
last two weeks. Although we have been unable to contact you,
we have been leaving messages with anyone who answers your phone,
explaining our situation. We have asked politely for you to call
us at your convenience either at my workplace or at our home
phone. You have not responded to any of these calls.
In the event that you have
not received any of our messages or Chris Dorment's letter of
January 22, 1996, I will inform you of our current problems.
As you witnessed personally during your visit to Apartment 4
on January 15, 1996, the ceiling above the shower has partially
collapsed, and continues to leak and collapse further daily.
I showed you the condition of the ceiling and the bathtub below
it. Plaster, wood, and other materials have been falling bit
by bit since the large collapse that occurred the evening of
January 13, 1996. A leak that originally caused the problem continues
to further weaken the ceiling.
The preceding explains the
current status of the bathroom. It has worsened since you visited,
and, no doubt the condition will continue to deteriorate until
you take some action to repair it.
I would like to stress that
the ceiling predicament is not simply an eyesore, but has been
presenting more serious problems for over two weeks. Chris and
I do not consider it safe to shower under a ceiling that is actively
dropping chunks of plaster and wood. Nor do we consider it reassuring
to think that the ever worsening state of the plumbing and plaster
could cause a further, and perhaps more dangerous break. I
can assure you, however, that if anyone is injured due to your
lack of response to this pressing problem, we will hold you legally
responsible in any and all ways possible.
You have been alerted to
the condition of the bathroom since January 14, 1996, one day
after the initial collapse. You claimed that you would send someone
to make the necessary repairs, but, as usual, no one ever appeared.
I would also like to address
two other concerns, and put these on paper so that there can
be no misunderstanding. First, a sign has been posted on the
front door by the Fire Marshall informing the tenants that the
fire alarm system in the entire building is not functioning.
This sign has been there for several months. The control panel
in the building lobby has been hanging open for months. These
are less-than-vague indications that repairs should be made immediately.
Please address this problem at once.
Second, and less cataclysmic,
but equally annoying, is the fact that the front door "buzzer"
for Apartment 4 has been broken for over four months. Once again,
we have repeatedly called your home and written letters regarding
this doorbell. We are sick and tired of asking our visitors to
yell from the street or call from a pay phone to announce their
presence. Please fix this right away.
We are all aware that you
are experiencing other problems that may be of a more pressing
nature to you. However, those problems should not blind you to
the needs of your tenants. You cannot expect us to be concerned
with rent issues when you continue to deny us basic repairs and
services such as our doorbell. It is absurd that relations between
landlord and tenant have disintegrated to this extent, but our
lease still demands that you address the basic problems laid
out in this letter.
For your information, we
have begun documenting our communications with you, and will
be forced to consult with the San Francisco County Rent Board
and other authorities if you do not respond. We do not wish to
worsen the situation by involving outside parties, so please
address our concerns. Our phone numbers are listed below.
Very truly yours,
Charles Coy
CWC:mdf
35003\0241\0046CWC.LTR
cc: Wayne Coy, Jr., Esq.