Richmond Rent Board affirms habitability findings, trims $99.60 PG&E portion from tenant restitution

The Richmond Rent Board on Nov. 19 affirmed a hearing examiner’s finding that a tenant suffered habitability deficiencies — including a leaky window, mold, and electrical problems — and reduced the restitution award by $99.60, removing the portion the board found attributable to a PG&E outage.

General Counsel Charles Ochinuga summarized the hearing record and recommended the board affirm the examiner’s factual findings but modify the restitution amount. Ochinuga told the board the tenant testified the unit had a “leaky window that was close to an outlet” and that she noticed mold soon after moving in; the tenant also reported asthma that the tenant said was exacerbated by the conditions. Ochinuga said a Dec. 31, 2024 power outage was caused by a PG&E transformer strike and was outside the landlord’s control, so the PG&E portion ($99.60) should be removed from the award.

The appellant’s representative, Maria Almanderas of the property management firm representing owner Ahmed Hussein, disputed parts of the tenant’s account but acknowledged efforts were made to respond. Almanderas said staff had attempted to schedule repairs and asked whether the tenant had provided texts or other correspondence documenting requests; she also said the tenant at times declined entry for repairs.

Board members emphasized that the appeal is limited to the hearing record and that no new evidence may be introduced on appeal. After discussion, Board Member Hite moved, and Board Member Espinosa seconded, a motion to adopt general counsel’s recommendation to affirm the hearing examiner’s findings while removing the PG&E‑related portion of the award. The board’s roll call votes were recorded in the affirmative; the motion passed with Chair Tipton and Board Member Willis absent.

The hearing examiner’s original award of $5,053.65 was modified to $4,954.05. Staff said parties should receive the board’s written decision the following week.

Details: The appellant identified the property address as 2255 15th Street, Richmond. The tenant moved into the unit on Dec. 1, 2023, and the PG&E outage cited in the record occurred on Dec. 31, 2024. The tenant’s name was not specified on the record for this meeting.

Next steps: The board will issue a written decision to the parties; no further board action on this appeal was recorded at the meeting.