On Wednesday afternoon, the Boston City Council Housing Committee entertained testimony from notorious landlord Anwar Faisal, labeled a slumlord by the constituency, about his rental spaces and master lease agreement with Northeastern University. As it turns out, essentially all that was said is nothing we haven’t collectively heard before.
Faisal was summoned before the committee to explain his company’s business relationship with Northeastern, alleged acts of discrimination toward prospective tenants and the scathing exposé published by the Boston Globe, which highlights severely decrepit living spaces rented out to Boston students.
Despite having refused to attend prior committee meetings, Faisal, who went on record saying his start in the U.S. was as an immigrant laborer at Boston University who went on to obtain a master’s degree from the same institution, was surprisingly congenial and cooperative. He answered the lion’s share of questions thrown his way by the attending city councilors, defending his company’s practices with the utmost sincerity.
Things became heated early on, though, when Councilor Zakim, who’s been spearheading the Faisal hearings, asked Faisal how many apartment units he actually owns. Faisal’s legal representation responded by saying “We don’t want this to turn into an inquisition” and “none of your business.”
Faisal went on to estimate he owns some 1,000 rental units, however, of which 137 are included in the master lease agreement with Northeastern. He said they generate roughly $300,000 for Alpha Management Corporation monthly.
“I’m extremely disappointed after all these years to be accused by politicians and a newspaper to hurt the people and the city I love,” stated Faisal. “Mr. Chairman, despite what’s being said in the paper, you heard the commissioner of the Inspectional Service Department saying we do not have an issue with Anwar Faisal.”
The ISD, he noted further, inspected the entirety of 11 of his buildings — not 11 units — and found no instances of wrongdoing.
But as things began to settle down between Councilor Zakim and Faisal’s lawyer, the latter made an interesting comment.
“[Faisal’s] competitors have given you thousands of dollars. Since you made this crusade against him, you’ve raised $6,000 alone from real estate,” he said, hoping to turn the tables of the discussion and paint it in the light of a witch hunt.
In fact, data from the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance shows that Councilor Zakim received $1,250 on just August 5 from personnel at three different real estate firms.
Someone who did testify that perhaps Faisal is being the subject of scapegoating was Robert Shapiro, a local lawyer in the real estate field with over 30 years of experience. His primary concern, despite admitting he’s engaged in legal tęte-ŕ-tętes with Faisal outside of Boston, is that the city council is focusing on all the wrong things. Rather, issues like rising rent prices and the evictions of fixed-income elderly should be a priority on the council’s docket.
“I don’t know why this person’s been singled out,” he said.
With that, any animosity between the committee, Faisal and his company completely fizzled out.
City Councilors Michelle Wu, Matt O’Malley, Tito Jackson and Tim McCarthy all proceeded to ask follow-up questions, most of which pertained to maintenance response times, move-in day logistics and properly outlining the tenants’ rights upon signing a lease with Alpha.
Faisal responded that, out of 50 calls, his team can respond to maybe 40 or 45 within the hour. Unless it’s an emergency, he must give the tenant 24-hours’ notice before entering the property alone. He’s also purchased $74,000 worth of dumpsters, more than double last year by his own count, so that as little trash and furniture is left remaining behind as possible. And he highlighted the welcome package he puts together for his tenants – a combination of phone numbers, utility information and copy of the lease, to name a few items.
Following the Q&A, the committee allowed for public comment. Several people rose to the podium and every single one of them defended Faisal to the fullest. From PhD students, to longtime Faisal renters, to third party maintenance workers, each individual had nothing to share but respectable remarks.
One fiery mother of a Northeastern student said in closing:
The buildings are safe, the buildings are properly maintained. If you treat Alpha with respect, they treat you with a tremendous amount of respect. These are not cheap apartments… These are rich students who can live anywhere they want, and they choose to live in these buildings.
It’s unclear how the city council will proceed with Faisal moving forward. Dan Sibor, Councilor Zakim’s chief of staff, told BostInno in an email that they’re perfectly content with the answers they received from Faisal and may not require further hearings.
“One important item we are awaiting is the outcome of Northeastern’s internal review of its Alpha master lease,” he noted.
Image via Yours Truly
