Fax: (608) 267-2779 Berrada was hardly alone in showing tenants the door during a pandemic. All told the complaint suggests that Berrada and his company prey on the poor, turning the desperation of Milwaukees poor and struggling renters into cash. What does Youssef mean? | | : 12 - : 111 : 1,795 - : Joseph. No follow-up action was taken by the state, and "Berrada has not provided any additional correspondence, or assurance, regarding those matters," agency spokesman Jerad Albracht said in an email. Inthe days after the Journal Sentinel reported that Attorney General Josh Kaul's agency had sued Berrada, several tenants contacted the newspaper to complain about the conditions of their rental units. . "He just seems to be going around buying a ton of stuff and a ton of boulders," Rodriguez said. That was one of a dozen days last year whenBerradacompanies filed at least 40 evictions. AddsMaudwellaKirkendoll, Community Advocates chief operating officer: "The tenants do have the option ofmoving"and the agency will help those tenants find new affordable housing. Wisconsin once had a 'model' voting rights program for people with disabilities. Ben Youcef Net Worth. "It's a Catch-22," Goyke said. 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. Youssef "Joe" Berrada, a native of Morocco who lives in a $1.6 million Mequon mansion, has quickly and quietly become a force in the Milwaukee rental business and the county eviction court. 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. Use (480) 588-7753 to contact Youssef with caution. A Journal Sentinel reporter and photographer observed two large holes in the wall in the hallway of the building when a tenant invited them into the building in May. . ", We followed four Wisconsin dairy farms for a year as they struggled with an industry-wide crisis, one didn't make it, Wisconsin lawmaker proposes resolution honoring white people, among others, during Black History Month. Like keeping renter's deposits when he shouldn't have, quality of living violations and not getting rid of pests. Some of Berrada's tactics are raising red flags with advocacy groups and attorneys who work with low-income renters. Berradaoperations generally make repairs that are ordered by the city in a timely manner. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1420576007798-3'); }); Milwaukee landlord Youssef Berrada and his firm charged with 15 violations of state law. Ouissam is the founder and current CEO of . It includes 15 claims for violations of state law ranging from illegal lease agreements to unfair billing practices, fraudulent representations, confiscating personal property, illegal eviction practices and illegally withholding security deposits. Her buildinghad recentlybeen bought by a company tied to Youssef"Joe" Berrada, a native of Morocco who has quickly and quietly become a force in the Milwaukee rental business and the county eviction court. The incident occurred when Bearden-Berrada was served with eviction papers seeking to throw her out of a Mequon house she was renting from aBerradacompany. Spivak says Berrada was one of the leading evictors in the city. When Berrada acquires a new property and wants to make renovations, sometimes the company notifies the tenants they have to leave. Back in June, Alexis Pollard was 38 weeks pregnant and trying to get her 6-year old son through virtual school while also caring for her 5-year old son and two-year old twin girls. In two cases November 2017 and June 2018 Berrada Properties was warned that a lease is void if it "requires payment by the tenant of attorney fees or costs in any legal action or dispute arising from the rental agreement.". 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. The $50 late fees and the attending court fees billed for eviction filings amounted to a combined $2,422 in fees charged to the tenant. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul today announced the filing of a civil law enforcement action against Youssef (Joe) Berrada and his property management company, . Phoenix and Houston are the cities with the second and third highest numbers of evictions during the pandemic, according to Princetons Eviction Lab. youssef joe'' berrada net worth. One of the few timesBerrada'sname has appeared in the news came in 2008 whenBearden-Berradawas charged with three counts of reckless endangerment for driving her Hummer on the lawn of the Mequon estate and attempting to run over her ex-husband and the couple's then 9-year-old daughter. Postal Service spokesman, said information about the mailboxes was"proprietary.". 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. Landlord Berrada defends evictions record. Drone view of landlord Youssef Berrada's million dollar - YouTube Since 2015, Berrada companies have bought88 Milwaukee properties. Clarks eviction came when she was in between jobs. Berrada declined, repeatedly, to be interviewed for this story. 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. When she opened Facebook, she saw people posting about Berradas rampant evictions. Inspectors checked the building last week and all of the ordered repairs had been made, a DNS spokesperson said. Today, the 3,600 rental units Berrada's companies own cover 3.2 million square feet,roughly the size of 55 football fields. Between 2018 and 2020, one tenant, called JT in the complaint, had four evictions filed against him and was billed late fees for rent 31 times. Facebook | Twitter | Instagram, DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more, 'He'll evict you in a minute': Landlord becomes a force in Milwaukee. Others express anguish over his companies' aggressive dealings with tenants, particularly through assembly-line evictions. "Her anxiety is much worse and her breathing has worsened.". Some Berrada tenants are sued for eviction as many four times in a year, records show. In Berradas case, for example, it took dogged local journalism to track the 75 different firms linked to him and then painstaking work to cross-reference them with local eviction filings. He earned the money being a professional Arabist. Still, Berrada remains largely unknown in political and business circles. Youssef has 1 job listed on their profile. Thats true historically and it remains true during the pandemic.. Landlords have filed 272,612 evictions since March-and thats just in the 27 cities that the Eviction Lab at Princeton University tracks. Hes evicting everybody, where will we go, who will we rent from? In fact, the average 1973 hourly minimum wage (just over $4) would be equal to about a $24 average minimum wage today. He is a nonprofit interfaith leader, as well as a father of two. ", Problematic leases: The state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has issued five warning letters since 2015questioning whether Berrada companies were violating statelandlord-tenant law. Berrada Properties accused of tenant violations during pandemic in Tenants with government-issued phones with limited minutes can blow their entire months allotment just waiting on hold for their case to be heard. "I just sat on the stairs and cried," Young said. The latest Tweets from Youssef Berrada (@Berrada_Youssef). Its like you just dont care about people, she said. 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. . In Milwaukee, informal evictions are twice as likely as a formal one. There was a lot of things going through my head: where will we go? 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. Minimum Opening Deposit $250,000. 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. There is no national database of evictions, and evictions are only tracked at the level of the countrys more than 3,000 counties. 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. A few monthsafter Ernestine Young returned home from a hospital stay last year, she found herself on the basementstairs of her apartment building sobbing. Tenants are expected to attend via video conference, often an impossibility for those without smartphones or laptops. Milwaukee landlord Youssef Berrada and his firm charged with 15 violations of state law. The DOJ complaint notes that Berrada often illegally charges court fees days before the eviction is even filed. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that while the state DOJ was preparing this case, Berrada collected nearly seven million dollars in rental assistance. Aviso de privacidad y Politica de cookies, Alemania y Austria, Australia, Espaa, Estados Unidos, Francia, India, Internacional, Japn, Pases Bajos, Polonia, Sudfrica, See more stories on Insiders business page, Private Equity Stakeholders Project (PESP, Frmula 1 para principiantes: lo que debes saber sobre la mxima categora del automovilismo. Between 2011 and 2013, private equity firms, buoyed by huge subsidies, snapped up about 350,000 homes from banks. 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. 454 Unique 2021; 676 Future 2028; 938 England 2021; 99 France 2020; 341 Germany 2016; 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. When moves are necessary, he said, Berrada officials work with the tenants to ensure a smooth transition. But, according to the complaint, Berradas company spends a lot of time forcing tenants out of their apartments so that repairs can be made. He is from Morocco. "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. Berrada tenants that arent asked to leave for renovations, often suffer in other ways. In 2015, Stephen Toliver was pleased to land an apartment in a newly purchasedBerradaproperty on West Silver Spring Drive. youssef joe'' berrada net worth - siriuscleaningservice.co.uk FOLLOW THE JOURNAL SENTINEL: . Michael Youssef (born September 25, 1948) is an Egyptian-American pastor. "Over the past two years a lot of work been done with Berrada Properties," said Andi Elliott, Community Advocates chief executive officer. pdf "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. The company quickly sought a do-over. Get a daily rundown of the top stories on Urban Milwaukee Renters are regularly charged between $218 and $295 by Berrada for court fees, according to the complaint. Youssef Origin and Meaning. Included in the tab is a$1.1 million home on a15-acre lot on the shores of Lake Michigan in Oostburg in Sheboygan County. The funds are earmarked to help tenants who hit financial difficulties during the pandemic pay rent. It creates more trauma.". Last year, his companies bought seven properties from James Herrick, the River Hills millionaire andRobert W. Baird Inc. executive, who rented outdilapidatedcentral city properties loaded with building code violations. Become a member for $9/month. For more than 90 years, WTMJ-AM has been "Wisconsin's Radio Station". July 16, 2022, in category backbone achievements. In 2002, Berrada owned just 16properties with a market value of about $5 million, accordingto documents he filed in his divorce case. Post author: Post published: Julho 8, 2022; Jeff Myer, litigation director at Legal Action of Wisconsin, saidsuch repeat filings turnthe court into the landlord's bill collector. Among other things, DOJ charged Berrada's company with improperly keeping security deposits; pushing out tenantsso newly purchased buildings could be renovated; unfair billing practices and imposing improper fees on tenants, including requiring them to pay the costs including legal fees of exterminating pests. Email this Business. "They can move you out of your home.". In some parts of Atlanta, for example, where corporations own at least one in five single-family rentals, tenants might not know who their landlord is until they receive an eviction notice. He also allegedly filed around 850 evictions in a matter of two weeks earlier this month. 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. Next week, the Center for Disease Controls eviction moratorium, which has stemmed evictions but not stopped them, is set to expire again. Pressure meanwhile mounted from other directions. Taking into account various assets, Youssef's net worth is greater than $250,000 - $499,999; and makes between $250K+ a year. The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) is bringing a major lawsuit against a notorious Milwaukee landlord and his property management company. d More Business Details and See makerfield constituencymakerfield constituency Average of 9 Customer Reviews. She said the late payments were so steep that she soon owed the equivalent of two months of rent. Berrada says the boulders prevent people from driving onto the . Its also been good for business: when tenants get money, Berrada also gets money. One of them is the right to a habitable property. After Berrada filed eviction notices on 330 tenants, the protest group waged a social media campaign against him, as well as phone blasts and pickets at his corporate office. The 26-year old had lost her job at Macys during the companys wave of layoffs when the pandemic started. Te decimos cmo desecharla ms rpido. Taxpayers paid Berrada Properties nearly $7 million as state DOJ prepared to sue the landlord giant. That made him responsible for over half of the city's evictions. Youcef was a renowned theater actor who studied in . Even if a tenant agrees to a payment plan and follows it, the original eviction lawsuitalmost alwaysremains on the tenant's public record.