East Austin Residents Plan Protest Over Unexpected Eviction By New Property Owner

EAST AUSTIN, TX -- Residents of Tarrytown Townhomes in East Austin will gather en masse outside their homes Thrusday to protest their forced, 30-day move-out date by a real estate speculator who recently bought the property, officials said.

The eviction notices to the more than 20 families living at the complex is an all-too-common sight in Austin, which in recent years has become one of the hottest markets for real estate speculation for investors seeking to capitalize on a bolstered property base. East Austin has emerged as something of a ground zero in the gentrification skirmishes, the area that once was an enclave largely populated by minorities now a trendy entertainment district and site of luxury housing.

Austin-based Tarrytown Townhomes LP has contracted to buy the property, presumably with plans for an upgrade to higher-income housing. More than 20 tenants and their children are scheduled to gather to ask for more time to move, the project director for Building and Strengthening Tenant Action at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid told Patch via email.

Following the start of the school year on Sept. 1, the group said, more than 30 families living in the 58-unit complex received notices that they had less than 30 days to leave. Residents had already been enduring poor housing conditions, including leaks, vermin infestations, mold, and inoperable appliances, because the building’s previous financer, Thrive F.P in Austin, failed to maintain the property even though it collected rent, according to advocates for the soon-to-be-displaced tenants.

Officials noted that in December 2015, after Thrive added the property to its portfolio, the city of Austin put the building on its “repeat offender” list because of numerous outstanding code violations.

“Since Thrive took over last year, all of our repair requests have been ignored,” said Leandra Yanez, who has lived in the building with her three daughters for six years. “My apartment had a leak that was causing mold and I had to fix it myself. My refrigerator still isn’t working. And they just kept taking my rent.”

Yanez added that her daughters developed skin rashes and respiratory problems because of mold, and she was forced to throw out carpets and beds as a result.

The building is among a growing list of East Austin properties that are being “flipped” by real estate speculators, officials said.

"In the case of 5020 Manor Rd., Thrive failed to make repairs, despite its legal obligations to tenants, because the building is to be substantially renovated. Late last month, the property was sold to a new owner, Accommodation Services, LLC, managed by Teresa Person," a press release read. "Acting as an intermediary, the Austin firm is holding the property for Tarrytown Townhomes, managed by Andrey Derivianko. Derivianko has speculated on at least one other property in East Austin and is working with Thrive to develop a West Austin property."

Teresa Rodriguez, a resident at 5020 Manor, says the unexpected 30-day notice has created chaos for her family.

“When they put me on a month-to-month tenancy, the manager said not to worry and that we would get a full year lease in August," Rodriguez said. "I believed them. I enrolled my kids in the neighborhood schools and then right after the school year began, we get this notice that we have to leave."

Since then, the family has been looking for a new place to live but is having difficulty finding alternative housing in the vicinity, Rodriguez said.

"We have been looking for a new place but it’s hard to find a place that is available right now and that we can afford nearby," she said. "We just need more time.”

The Sept. 22 protest outside the complex is scheduled to take place at 7:30 p.m. at 5020 Manor Rd.

This is just the latest example in Austin of families being displaced at the hands of a corporation seeking to capitalize on a hot real estate market. In December, Oracle Corp. -- the world's second-largest software maker -- announced a major land acquisition to build a corporate campus with luxury housing for its employees. But as first reported by Patch, the corporate expansion was contingent on evicting the low-income families still living at the Lakeview Apartments situated on their newly purchased land.

Despite repeated requests for comment by Patch for comment, Oracle Corp. officials never responded to queries related to the families displaced as a result of their land purchase.

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