When a fire erupted in a hardware store next to a 100‑year‑old apartment building in San Francisco’s Inner Sunset in 2023, the 28‑unit complex was forced to evacuate. The building has sat empty for three years, despite repeated pleas from residents and city officials to move the renovation process forward.
Sale of the property goes unnoticed
In June 2026 the property was quietly sold for $6.65 million to Cogs and Dogs Development LLC, a Brisbane‑based firm that has acquired seven San Francisco properties since last November. Tenants who retained a legal “right to return” were not notified of the transaction until Mission Local contacted the new owners.
“I am totally in the dark,” said Chandanie Botejue, a 15‑year resident who now pays nearly double rent on a Mission‑area apartment. “Maybe they think we are so inconsequential. They can do this deal and we are kind of pesky and can be tossed aside.”
Law requires written notice
California law binds property owners to provide written notice to tenants when a building is sold and to inform them within 30 days of the sale. The same law also requires landlords to notify tenants when repairs are completed, triggering a 30‑day window for tenants to return to their units.
Uli Zinnkann, an 18‑year tenant who organized a tenant group after the fire, said she has received only a single email in the weeks following the blaze. “We lost momentum. It was just so much work,” she explained, noting that many residents eventually moved on.
City agencies struggle to intervene
The Department of Building Inspection has no active permits for the building and, after referring the case to the city attorney’s office in 2024, has seen little progress. Department spokesperson Patrick Hannan confirmed the agency has not yet interacted with the new owner.
Mike Farrah, a legislative aide in Supervisor Myrna Melgar’s office, said the supervisor’s team is now seeking a meeting with Cogs and Dogs Development to ensure the tenants’ rights are respected.
New owner’s plans and community concerns
According to senior managing director Eymon Binesh of Marcus & Millichaj, the buyer intends to fully rehabilitate all 28 units, citing “strong rent growth” and “significant upside from the vacancies.” However, housing‑rights advocates warn that delayed repairs can be used to displace long‑term, rent‑controlled tenants.
“New owners inherit the tenants, inherit the problems, inherit the leases,” said Hayle Meyerhoff, lead organizer at the Housing Rights Committee. She expects the building’s renovation timeline—currently projected to finish by February 2027—to be extended, a tactic that could push existing renters out in favor of market‑rate units.
Human impact of the fire and sale
For many, the building was more than a roof over their heads. “The kitchen is so grungy. The floors are filthy and the walls need paint. The bathroom is so decrepit. It’s just bare minimum,” Botejue recalled, adding she would move back in a heartbeat if the repairs were completed.
Thomas Koester, a 77‑year‑old resident of 30 years, was forced into an emergency shelter after the fire and later died in October 2024. His story underscores the vulnerability of seniors on fixed incomes when housing stability is disrupted.
What comes next?
Tenant advocates are urging the city attorney’s office to enforce the notification requirement and to hold Cogs and Dogs Development accountable for timely repairs. The San Francisco Anti‑Displacement Coalition’s spokesperson Molly Goldberg emphasized that the “right to return” does not disappear with a change in ownership.
As construction crews—estimated at eight workers— continue work behind a graffiti‑covered plywood gate, the remaining tenants cling to hope that the city will uphold the law and that they will eventually be able to return to the homes they have called home for decades.
Original reporting: Mission Local — read the source article.
