Complaint Review: Gates Hudson and Associates

This is a complaint against Gates, Hudson, & Associates, Merrifield Pozez, LLC, Merrifield Town Center Limited Partnership, Uniwest, The Vantage at Merrifield, Deanna Martin (Agent), Zulfi Khan (Agent), Patricia Blackburn (Agent), Norman Pozez (Owner, Member, Chairman), Offit, Kurman, P.C. (Representative) and Mazin Elias (Representative) of the Vantage at Merrifield Town Center located at 8190 and 8191 Strawberry Lane Falls Church, VA 22042.  These individuals and business organizations have violated one or more of the following:

"A. Except as provided in this section, or as otherwise provided by law, a landlord may not retaliate by increasing rent or decreasing services or by bringing or threatening to bring an action for possession or by causing a termination of the rental agreement pursuant to 55-222 or 55-248.37 after he has knowledge that: (i) the tenant has complained to a governmental agency charged with responsibility for enforcement of a building or housing code of a violation applicable to the premises materially affecting health or safety; or (ii) the tenant has made a complaint to or filed a suit against the landlord for a violation of any provision of this chapter; or (iii) the tenant has organized or become a member of a tenants' organization; or (iv) the tenant has testified in a court proceeding against the landlord. However, the provisions of this subsection shall not be construed to prevent the landlord from increasing rents to that charged on similar market rentals nor decreasing services that shall apply equally to all tenants."

The aforementioned individuals and business organizations have refused and failed to negotiate a standard lease in good faith with tenants Gregory Fernandez and Vanessa Lopez after the tenants complained to governmental agencies regarding matters affecting health and/or safety and fraudulent practices.  In addition, the tenants filed suit for several violations of the Code of Virginia.  The previous correspondence supporting the above mentioned parties lack of good faith in negotiating a standard lease has been forwarded to Michelle Thompson with Fairfax County Government.