Equity Residential Has Disturbing History of Building Safety Issues and Tenant Rights Abuses, Warns Union

NEW YORK CITY, NY (08/12/2010)(readMedia)-- A new website, EquityResidentialWatch.info, was launched today by the Metallic Lathers Union Local 46. Equity Residential Watch has been established to provide tenants and the general public with more information about the irresponsible practices of Equity Residential, the largest publicly traded multifamily building owner in the United States.

Equity Residential has a disturbing history of building safety issues, according to Equity Residential Watch. On July 16th, a three-story parking garage collapsed at an Equity-owned building in Hackensack, N.J. According to news reports, two months before the collapse Equity was warned by a licensed engineer that the building's parking garage might "catastrophically collapse." Equity apparently ignored these warnings, putting the safety of its tenants, employees and the general public at risk.

Equity Residential also has a troubling history violating tenants' rights nationwide. In 2005, Equity Residential was forced to settle with the Maryland Attorney General's office for more than a quarter of a million dollars in response to allegations the company charged exorbitant application fees and illegally deducted termination fees from tenants' security deposits. In 2002, Equity residents in Florida filed a class action lawsuit alleging the company illegally charged tenants thousand of dollars in similar fees. As a result, Equity was forced to discontinue these practices and pay out $1.6 million to tenants. Equity is also currently being sued by the Equal Rights Center, a national civil rights organization, for allegedly violating the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities act at properties more than 300 properties nationwide.

"Equity's behavior suggests it lacks respect for the safety and basic rights of its tenants. Tenants deserve to know the truth about Equity Residential and its disturbing track record of violations and abuse," said Robert A. Ledwith, Business Manager and Financial Secretary/Treasurer of Metallic Lathers and Reinforcing Iron Workers Local 46, AFL-CIO.

For more details, visit www.EquityResidentialWatch.info

Equity Residential Watch and www.EquityResidentialWatch.info are produced by Metallic Lathers and Reinforcing Ironworkers Local 46 and are wholly independent of Equity Residential.